Almost 140 locals turned out to the awards which honour the best Forbes sport has to offer and Piper’s title came after years of achievement in the field of motor racing.

“I guess I felt privileged after all the other people who have won it before,” Piper told the Advocate yesterday.

“It’s exciting to win even though I thought I would have won it last year [2008],” he said.

In 2008 Piper became Australian champion in the clubman heavy division of the 46th National Sprint Kart Championships in Launceston, beating two of the country’s most successful drivers in Matthew Wall and Jason Hrynuik (both of whom are multiple state and national title holders).

Last year saw him continue his success, winning the Canberra Cup without losing a race and winning the overall points cup trophy (a trophy which bears the name of Australian F1 driver Mark Webber).

Last September he claimed his second NSW State Title and scored podium finishes in every race he contested.

“It was good, I had a very successful year with both the engine building and my own driving although I don’t get to drive as much any more because I am getting busier and busier,” he said.

Piper has turned his passion into his profession and engines constructed by the Forbes local have won more than 30 state and five national titles in the past five years.

Piper builds engines for the son of Team BOC V8 racing driver Brad Jones and Piper said another highlight was Jones displaying a Shayne Piper Racing sticker on his vehicle at Bathurst.

The V8 driver also push started Piper during his title defence at the Australian Nationals.

Piper said the success of his engine building business limits the amount of time he can spend in competition however he will travel to Australian Sprint Kart Championships at the Hume International Raceway on April 2-4 for his first competition of the year.

He will then travel to Tamworth for the NSW State Titles which are usually held in September.

Full story in Tuesday's Advocate.