WORCESTER'S Dark Horse drag racing team were among the top performers at meetings in Germany and closer to home.

Brian and Lee Huxley were joined by crew chief Andy Walker at Hockenheim for the 23rd running of the NitrOlympX in sunny conditions.

Thirty-eight cars battled to get into a field of 32 and Lee Huxley qualified seventh after three sessions.

He got through to the semi-finals only to be knocked out by another British racer, eventual meeting winner Will Clark, by only 100th of a second.

Huxley led the 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback to joint third place with a trophy and money despite a scramble the week before to rebuild the gearbox.

They went from running a quarter-mile to an eighth of a mile at Rockingham, Northamptonshire, for No Prep Nationals 3 run by Paul Marston Drag Racing.

On the unprepared track, many cars turned up for the big prize money and trophies.

The Dark Horse car went through to the torch start final but just did not have the grip to win as it had in No Prep 2.

They also got to the semi-finals in the big bracket dial-in class only to be scuppered by the 5pm curfew at Rockingham.

But the city team were pleased with the car and its Tim Hines-prepared engine.