No one will forget what Loek Hartog did on the fifth of September 2026 in Shanghai. His express intervention to save the life of Ollie Millroy after a crash in the China GT Championship made headlines not only within the tight-knit sports car racing community, it made mainstream national and international news as well.
The last time DSC spoke at length with the young Dutch driver, it was three months before the incident in Shanghai, when Hartog was standing in at Manthey for the IMSA Six Hours of the Glen.
And as he returned to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the last race of his GT World Challenge America season with Kellymoss, Hartog told DSC that he felt like not a whole lot had changed since his act of heroism – and wants to be known for more than just a single moment.
“I’m still the same guy I was a month ago,” he proclaimed. “I just think a few more people kind of know my values and morals a bit better.
“So for me, there’s nothing really that changed, other than I’ve grown a close relationship with somebody I didn’t know before.”
The accident which left Millroy with significant injuries and a long period of rehabilitation has sparked many of the same conversations which came up in 1998 when a similar accident at Fuji Speedway nearly claimed the life of driver Tetsuya Ota, were it not for the intervention of fellow racer Shinchi Yamaji. Mainly, how can a circuit and event organisers better handle a potentially catastrophic incident such as this?
Hartog continued, “I’m sure that everybody who is responsible, sitting in a position where this is one of their concerns, had a watch at this and for sure, they had a moment to reflect on what can be better – but that in modern racing, things like this can still happen.
“It raised the question again, in particular, on how things are handled afterwards. That’s certainly where we, as athletes, can be helped more.
“I know still plenty of guys racing without insurances. I know plenty that are not thinking about if they are in a trauma helicopter, who are their emergency contacts, or how their parents get reached. I think that’s something that Ollie is very keen on finding a solution for.
“For the organisers, I think there should be mandates, as in a protocol in the drivers’ briefing, how if a situation like this occurs, that is very clear to the drivers – if there’s fire, it’s going to be a red flag. Then the organisers put the red flag out as soon as possible. It allows marshals to go on track, and allows other drivers to come and help because it’s a bit sporadic. Some tracks are better facilitated, but this can also happen on track days.
“It’s just a fuel leak that’s necessary to make a car turn up in flames like this.”
2026 is Hartog’s first season competing in East Asia for a significant stretch, driving for Phantom Global Racing in both the China GT Championship and part-time in GT World Challenge Asia between Phantom Global and Origine Motorsport – among his many other commitments in America and Europe.
But while he hasn’t been racing on the other side of the Pacific for long, Hartog wants to be part of the solution which helps motor racing in China and other less-developed motorsports nations reach the high standard seen in Japan after incidents like the Ota crash forced circuits and organisers to take corrective action.
After all, he’s enjoyed his brief time competing abroad, soaking in the atmosphere of lively audiences driven in part by increased participation, and yes, a little bit of the Wang Yibo factor as well when it comes to China GT.
“The experience is very, very positive, I think it’s very upcoming,” Hartog said of the sports car racing scene in China. “If you look at it economically, people are just getting started in motorsports, versus Europe and in the U.S. where there’s a better foundation.
“These are very important years to see which direction the sport goes, and I think that’s very interesting to witness. The polarity from seeing how it’s already so evolved in Europe, it’s very interesting to witness.”
“I would say I have a particular role in developing the sport there, but also now, getting a lot of fans reaching out to me; I feel like it’s also an obligation to see how much we can grow the sport there. Clearly, there’s very capable people here. And hopefully, we can also attract Chinese manufacturers to racing.”
Hartog’s work with Phantom Global is just part of the 2025 Porsche Cup winner’s busy schedule racing for various customer teams on three continents: He’s at the helm of the Pirelli-sponsored Dinamic GT programme in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie, and here in the States, he’s finishing up his first full season in GT World Challenge America with Kellymoss, the team for which Hartog won the 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup North America championship.
The year began with a devastating setback for himself and co-driver John Gilliland when a testing accident at Sonoma Raceway took the #88 Porsche out of its first race.
It’s been tough sledding ever since for the duo, who’ve not finished better than seventh in class or 10th overall this year, languishing down the Pro-Am championship order heading into the Desder Indianapolis 8 Hour. Even still, Hartog has found positives to take away from this, his first full season of driving GT3 cars in North America. “It’s just a big pleasure,” he said.
“Clearly we want to score, and we don’t have any results yet. Of course, as a competitor, that hurts a bit. Because you pour your heart, your energy, your soul into making a project like this work, especially because it’s a full-season effort. Truthfully, there’s many reasons why things didn’t turn out the way we wanted it. But we’ve been competitive occasionally, and it’s nothing particular that made this season less successful than others.
“I’m just happy to still have moments outside this season to showcase what I’m capable of.”
It was looking like his one-off IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut for Manthey at Watkins Glen would be one of those moments, and he did show flashes of the immense pace and poise he’s capable of – before making a mistake and crashing the car.
Reflecting on Watkins Glen, Hartog said, “Of course it’s tough because I let the team down, and also most importantly, in one of the biggest opportunities in my life, I let myself down. It’s been a dream of mine to race in Grello, and clearly, I made a mistake.
“I didn’t over-analyse that too much. I just try to focus on what I can influence afterwards. But I feel bad because I fell short there, clearly. I hope to get another opportunity like that, but it’s also very realistic that it takes time to gain trust again for certain opportunities.”
This weekend is a full-circle moment for Hartog, who made his American GT3 racing debut in 2024 at the Indianapolis 8 Hour alongside Antares Au and Patric Niederhauser. Two years later, Hartog will be the experienced hand guiding not only his first-year GT3 Am driver Gilliland, but also fellow Kellymoss PCCNA driver Aaron Jeansonne, making his GT3 racing debut full-stop.
And then of course, there’s next season. Hartog told DSC that a full-season campaign in IMSA next year would be his preference, and he’s at least working towards making his first start in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January.
But above all, he’s open to working with any team where he feels valued – even if it’s not behind the wheel of a Porsche.
“You need to be surrounded by very talented people, and luckily this year and also last year, I’ve been able to do that,” said Hartog. “You want to work with winning operations, and that’s why I’m quite particular of choosing what I want to do. Clearly, that’s very important.
“There’s not many people in the last two years that did as many race weekends as I did. But it’s because I live for the sport. And if I don’t sign with anyone because my gut feeling is not good, I will still be around for as many weekends. Getting that practice every weekend is so valuable.”
“For me, it’s important to work with people that want to work with me, and I think I can dig very deep. That’s what I value, more than driving a specific car or with a specific team.”
One thing is for certain is that despite his apprehensions about how the Watkins Glen incident would affect his trust with teams, Hartog has shown over the last two years that his talent behind the wheel and his maturity outside of the cockpit are qualities that should make him highly sought-after around the world as teams prepare for the 2027 season.
It’s always great to be praised for a selfless act of courage. Give it time and Hartog will garner praise for winning races and championships as well.
Images © SRO Motorsports Group, Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific, Jack Webster / Dailysportscar.com
