Racing driver Millroy is preparing for an emotional reunion with Loek Hartog, the 23-year-old Dutch competitor who pulled him from a burning car following a high-speed crash. The pair are set to meet in China this week for the first time since the incident, with Millroy still recovering in hospital but expressing a firm intention to return to racing.
The rescue: 59 seconds that saved a life
Hartog, who races a Porsche across various GT championships, recounted the moments after the collision. “I remember being scared very briefly,” says Hartog. “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].”
By the time Hartog reached the scene, Millroy’s car had already come to a stop. Hartog recalled that another 59 seconds elapsed from when he stopped his own car to Millroy exiting the burning vehicle. “I wish it were sooner,” Hartog said. “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.”
A family’s gratitude
Millroy’s wife, Fern, has remained at his bedside since arriving hours after the crash. The couple’s three children are being cared for by Fern’s sister. Speaking about the impending meeting, she 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’s perspective from the hospital bed
Despite his condition, Millroy managed humour when discussing the reunion. “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.”
He also reflected on Hartog’s character and upbringing: “We’ve got to know Loek’s parents and you can see how he’s come from the most wonderful, amazing family, and that you don’t have to be a bad guy to be a great sportsman; you can be a really nice guy and really good sportsman.”
Summarising the split-second decision that changed everything, Millroy said: “He made a decision that day he was going to prioritise something else other than sport, and that’s what saved my life.”
