A Maltese drag racer competing in the sport's highest category has clocked the third-fastest time in European drag racing history.

Swatar resident Duncan Micallef yesterday completed a 1000-foot race in just 3.913 seconds at Sweden's Tierp Arena, falling a few tenths of a second shy of the 3.878 European record. 

Duncan Micallef.

Starting from a standstill, Micallef reached speeds higher than 480km/h as he raced into the Top Fuel Driver category fifth round. 

Top Fuel Driver is the highest category in drag racing, which is, in turn, the fastest motorsport in the world. 

Micallef will now be racing for a place in the sixth and final round of the competition, which is due to be held at the Santa Pod raceway in the UK. 

His achievement is all the more noteworthy because of the stiff competition he faces, said Malta Motorsport Federation executive secretary Oliver Attard. 

"Duncan is up against professional racing teams with paid drivers who can afford to spend all their time perfecting their racing and getting to grips with their cars," Mr Attard told Times of Malta.

It is a stark contrast from Micallef's situation. 

The Maltese racer must rent his dragster, and hadn't set eyes on his car in 11 months until last Thursday.

Despite the handicap, Micallef regularly performs well in European competition, narrowly missing out on the championship last season after losing out to Finnish racer Anita Mäkelä in the final round. 

"The limitations he faces make his achievements even more noteworthy," Mr Attard said. 

Micallef also competes locally, albeit with a different car. The Malta Drag Racing Association's next round of races is scheduled to take place on September 16.

As of next month, petrolheads will also be able to follow local racers through a new TV programme due to air on public broadcaster PBS on Thursday evenings, Mr Attard added.