Millroy hails Hartog after Shanghai GT fireball rescue

Ollie Millroy, who remains in hospital in China, said "a miracle I'm alive" after fellow driver Loek Hartog stopped to pull him from his car when it was engulfed in flames during a China GT Championship race at the Shanghai International Circuit 11 days ago. Millroy was trapped for over a minute before Hartog rescued him after his Ferrari caught fire following contact with two other cars and impact with the safety barriers.

Millroy, 36, suffered several fractures and a punctured lung in the crash and says he has no memory of the moments immediately before the incident or for about an hour afterwards, a gap that he says is affecting him psychologically as he tries to piece together what happened. He described being "sort of conscious" and talking to Hartog as he struggled for oxygen, and said his body had gone into a form of survival mode because of his injuries.

Describing Hartog's actions from his hospital bed, Millroy said: "He acted instantly and he did everything right." He added: "Watching the video back, it looks like you're watching a movie and everything's rehearsed." Millroy also said: "Every single step was perfectly executed. If you look at the photos and videos of the car, the fact I've got out without life-changing burns or even the fact I'm alive - it's a miracle."

Hartog, 23, who races a Porsche for various different teams across GT racing, ran to Millroy's car, checked the situation and concluded the fire was too severe to free him immediately; he went to the passenger side, retrieved a fire extinguisher and said he "kept the fire off me for long enough to get inside the car and get me out of it." By Hartog's account, it took 59 seconds from when he stopped his car to Millroy exiting the burning vehicle, and Hartog said he would do the same thing "a thousand times again."

Hartog recalled: "I remember being scared very briefly. I tried to run to the car and I was seeing if he was making an effort himself and quickly realised it was a one-sided quest. I saw I needed to free the space around him to get out [of the car]." He also said: "I wish it were sooner." "There's a human element to that. I don't know why I went there; why I chose [to help him]. There was no reasoning, and I explain to myself that it was how I have been taught - how I grew up in some way," he added.

Millroy's wife Fern has been at his side since hours after the crash while their three children are being looked after by Fern's sister; Fern said: "It's so emotional. I feel like I need that closure to give [Hartog] a great big hug." She added: "It's incredible how you can instantly love someone you've never met before - we've probably been around the same paddocks over the years, but to love someone who has just taken care of my soulmate and father of our three children, it's incredibly significant." Millroy joked: "I'm just sorry I can't take him out anywhere nicer for dinner [when they meet] but I'm tied to machines in the hospital bed."

Both drivers have signalled an interest in addressing safety after the incident. Millroy said: "There'll always be an element of risk," and "But we always take that for granted. I never got in that car on that day and thought: 'I really hope there's a highly trained and expert fire crew down that corner in case something happens.' I don't want to comment too much until it's been officially investigated. There's a lot of people wanting a lot of answers." Hartog added: "This specific moment is something we can use to make the sport safer - there was a multitude of things that went wrong: I shouldn't have been the person to help but if it weren't for me, the outcome could have been very different."

Millroy said he keeps replaying the footage and that his brain is struggling to reconcile the experience: "Watching the video is like I'm watching something else. I keep waking up at night where my brain is trying to piece together what happened to my body - that frustration seems to be building more and more." He also expressed repeated gratitude, saying: "I must have said 'thank you' a thousand times and I'd say it another thousand times that I'm so unbelievably grateful. All the emotions won't make sense until I get back home with the kids and then it'll be like: 'OK, I am actually still alive and living my life.' "

Hartog is due to fly back to China this week so the pair can meet for the first time since the crash, and the drivers expect to work together in future discussions on safety; Millroy has said he eventually intends to continue racing but first needs time to recover and to see his family.