Millroy eventually intends to continue racing, but first he is set to be reunited with Hartog, 23, as the Dutchman flies back to China this week so the pair can meet for the first time since the day of the crash.
“I remember being scared very briefly,” says Hartog, who races a Porsche for various different teams across GT racing.
“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 he saw the scene Millroy’s car was already stationary, and Hartog recalled that it was another 59 seconds from when he stopped his car to Millroy exiting his 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.”
Millroy’s wife Fern has been by her husband’s side since hours after the crash, with the couple’s three children being looked after by Fern’s sister.
“It’s so emotional. I feel like I need that closure to give [Hartog] a great big hug,” she said.
“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.
“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.
“He made a decision that day he was going to prioritise something else other than sport, and that’s what saved my life.”
