Millroy Reunites With Hartog, the Driver Who Pulled Him From Burning Car

More than two weeks after a fiery China GT Championship crash, Ollie Millroy spoke by video call with Loek Hartog, the competitor who dragged him from the wreckage.

British racer Ollie Millroy has spoken face to face with Loek Hartog, the competitor who came to his aid when his Ferrari caught fire during the China GT Championship on Sept. 5. The two connected by video call on the British program Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

Hartog, a 23-year-old from the Netherlands, abandoned his own car after the multi-car collision, extinguished the flames and pulled the 36-year-old Millroy clear. Millroy was treated at the track and then transported to a hospital in Shanghai.

Injuries from the crash included a punctured lung, six broken ribs, a fractured collarbone, a broken hand and a neck fracture. The lung injury kept him hospitalized for two weeks, though he avoided burns and expects a full recovery over the coming months.

Millroy told the program that competing instincts usually discourage stopping for another driver, but Hartog reacted as though he was pre-programmed to help. Hartog said it was good to see Millroy doing well and that the global reaction to the incident had surprised the racing community.

The two men, previously just fellow competitors, say they are now close friends. Millroy joked that Hartog keeps telling him to stop expressing gratitude, but he never will. His wife Fern, with whom he has three children, posted after the broadcast that Millroy is home and growing stronger each day.