Ollie Millroy relives Shanghai fireball: 'We both ended up crying'

Ollie Millroy has revealed details of his horror crash that left his Ferrari 296 GT3 engulfed in flames at the Shanghai International Circuit at the weekend, and fearing for his life before the intervention of fellow racer Loek Hartog, who was able to haul him from the wreckage.

The incident happened on Saturday, September 5, during a Chinese GT Championship race at the hairpin turn in Shanghai.

Two Ferraris collided at high speed after making contact with a BMW. One of the Ferrari 296 GT3s, driven by Millroy, burst into flames.

Millroy was unable to free himself from the car. Hartog, driving a Porsche, pulled up alongside the wreckage without hesitation, ran to marshals to grab a fire extinguisher, and dragged Millroy clear of the burning car.

Millroy was taken to hospital, where doctors found he had suffered five broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a broken hand and finger, and a bruised lung.

Speaking in an in-depth interview with RacingNews365, Millroy reflected on the crash and Hartog's actions.

"It's a strange feeling, you know?" said Millroy.

"Something I've never experienced before and that I think most people will never experience at all, being that close to life-altering injuries, severe burns, or even death.

"On the one hand, you feel incredibly lucky, but on the other hand... When I watched the accident again, you could also say I was incredibly unlucky, because there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.

"Yeah, it really is a very strange feeling. And to be honest, I don't think I'll really be able to process my emotions until I'm back home and see my kids."

Coincidence or fate?

Millroy said he was conscious throughout the ordeal, but has no memory of the 30 seconds before the crash or the hour that followed. It was only when Hartog visited him in hospital that the full picture emerged.

"The first time I heard that Loek had pulled me out of the car was when he came to see me at the hospital that evening," said Millroy.

"He started telling me about it and then showed me some videos and things like that. The two of us were sitting there, and we both ended up crying. It was incredibly emotional, because up until that moment, I really had no idea what had happened."

The crash has forged a close bond between the two drivers, to the point that a group chat has been set up including Hartog's parents. Millroy said he has come to see the timing of Hartog's presence behind him that day as almost fated.

"This moment has, as it were, been inside him since birth," said Millroy. "It's just in his nature. Of course, he's an incredible driver and incredibly competitive, but this is truly in his DNA. To be honest, I feel like he was destined to find himself in that position at that moment.

"You really get that feeling when you talk to his whole family. They're all such wonderful people. I was just incredibly lucky with the timing and the situation, and that he happened to be driving behind me during the race."

Wake-up call

Millroy hopes the crash will serve as a wider lesson for the motorsport world.

"I want this to be a wake-up call for all authorities, circuits, and staff involved," he said. "For every marshal who stands somewhere along the track at, say, Brands Hatch every weekend and thinks, 'Actually, it's been a while since I took my fire safety course. I think I'll sign up for that again.'"

He added that he and Hartog intend to "do everything possible" to ensure "more lives can be saved" in similar situations.

"That's where I see the real beauty of this story: in what we can achieve in the future and how we can use this situation we've both experienced to improve safety. There simply can be no excuse for this.

"There are 32 GT cars worth between one and one and a half million dollars racing around the Shanghai circuit. There's an enormous amount of money in that paddock and in that championship.

"Money should be completely disregarded these days when it comes to safety in motorsports, especially at this level.

"But really, that applies to every level. So we want to make sure this story actually leads to changes and that it opens people's eyes."

Watch the full, exclusive interview with Millroy in the video below!