BRITISH racing driver Ollie Millroy has thanked a racing rival for saving his life after a horrific fireball crash.
Millroy, 36, was racing in a China GT event at Shanghai International Circuit when two vehicles collided and went spinning into his Ferrari, igniting the car instantly in a ball of flame.
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Dutch driver Loek Hartog, labelled a “superhero” by Millroy, pulled his vehicle up next the wreck and rushed to the Brit’s aid without hesitation.
The 23-year-old can be seen through a camera in his vehicle frantically trying to reach his rival despite the roaring fire engulfing the rear of the car.
When he could not reach Millroy, Hartog ran to grab a fire extinguisher and began trying to combat the flames to keep the stricken driver safe.
More stewards then arrived to help combat the flames, as Hartog and track staff managed to successfully pull the driver from the wreck.
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Millroy, who suffered significant injuries in the terrifying incident, took to social media to thank his saviour in a heartfelt post.
He wrote: “I am still alive tonight, entirely thanks to one man. Loek Hartog stopped instantly with no flag marshalls or fire crews in sight, and risked his own life to get me out of the car.
“I don’t remember anything between 30 seconds before the crash and 1 hour after it, but I will remember his incredible act of bravery for the rest of my life.
“One day I will tell our three kids this story and Loek will be the biggest superhero in history in their eyes too.
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“I’m laying here tonight with 5 broken ribs, broken collar bone, broken hand and finger and a bruised lung, but it could have been much worse.
“Thank you Loek. I owe you my life for your selfless act today.”
Video showed the pair leaning on a trackside barrier after the shocking ordeal, with Hartog appearing to be in a fit of coughing.
Medics soon arrived to treat Millroy while he sat against the barrier, before he was taken to hospital with an extensive list of injuries, which included one more broken rib than even he had realised, as well as a “partially collapsed lung”.
Hartog addressed his heroic actions in a statement to his Instagram story following the incident.
He wrote: “When I saw a car turning into a huge fireball far ahead, there wasn’t really a decision to make.
“From what I had seen, I genuinely believed the driver might not be able to get out by himself. I stopped, got out and went towards the car. There was never a moment of doubt.
“It was scary. There were moments where I didn’t know I would actually be able to get Ollie out. But this isn’t about what I did, and I’m sure many people in the same position would have reacted exactly the same way.”
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Ollie Millroy’s emotional statement in full
I am still alive tonight, entirely thanks to one man. @loekhartog_ stopped instantly with no flag marshalls or fire crews in sight, and risked his own life to get me out of the car.
I don’t remember anything between 30 seconds before the crash and 1 hour after it, but I will remember his incredible act of bravery for the rest of my life.
One day I will tell our three kids this story and Loek will be the biggest superhero in history in their eyes too.
I’m laying here tonight with 5 broken ribs, broken collar bone, broken hand and finger and a bruised lung, but it could have been much worse.
Thank you Loek. I owe you my life for your selfless act today.
Thank you to everyone for your kind messages. I will try and get back you now that I have a few days in bed. I’m counting my lucky stars tonight, that’s for sure.
Fern is on the plane out here and I’m surround by my team, my Taiwanese and Chinese family Team AAI. I have a couple of operations tomorrow to put everything back where it should be, then a few weeks resting here before I can fly.
Thank you to Ferrari Race for building a car capable of taking that impact and I’m sorry for our AAI Motorsports crew and my team mate Chen Yin Yu that you have lost your rocket ship today.
Rebuild, recover and then back on the horse
It wasn’t just his rival who was left thanking Hartog, with Millroy’s wife Fern also showing her gratitude to the star.
She had to watch the horrifying situation from overseas, but made the journey to Shanghai to meet up with her other half in the hospital.
She wrote: “Thank you to everyone who has reached out to offer their support and try to help whether that’s with the children, Ollie or I.
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“We are so incredibly grateful for our community who all jumped into action immediately to help.
“Loek Hartog there are no words. Our families lives were on the brink of being altered forever. You saved him and our family.”