A British drag racer has offered a GBP 4,300 reward for the return of his car after it was stolen during a tournament in Malta.

Devastated Sean Prout has offered EUR 5,000 (GBP 4,300) to get his blue Honda Civic Type R back.

The car – stolen in the early hours of 21st November – had been stuck by the side of the track in Hal Far following a race prang.

Sean says he has spent more than EUR 100,000 (GBP 86,000) upgrading the high-performance Honda wrapped in a Smurf-inspired sticker.

He told local media: “That car is like a child to me.”

The drag racer had reportedly travelled to Malta from Great Britain to take part in the four-day Malta Drag Racing Association finals.

But his participation ended after he span out and hit a wall, damaging the vehicle on 18th November.

Sean claimed that the last time he saw the car was when he went to watch the final race on Sunday evening, 20th November.

However, to his great horror, the car had already been stolen when he returned to pick it up at around 7.30am the next day.

He claimed surveillance cameras showed the car being towed away by an unknown offender and added: “I spend hours daily working on that car.”

Following the theft, the racer shared a Facebook post and offered a EUR 2,000 (GBP 1,730) reward at first, which quickly upped to EUR 5,000 (GBP 4,300).

The cash, says Sean, will be given to anyone who can provide information leading to the car’s recovery.

His wife, Jade, said: “It’s horrible watching someone work so hard and put in so much time and effort to watch someone destroy it all.”

Meanwhile, the police confirmed that they initiated an investigation and a magisterial inquiry into the theft.