The virtual 2021 Motorsport Australia National Awards presented by Shannons Insurance has successfully been held online with many individuals acknowledged for their stellar years in 2021.

Hosted by Greg Rust, the presentation celebrated the achievements of the drivers and co-drivers who triumphed in their respective national series and championships throughout last year.

From the likes of Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen and Motorsport Australia Gold Star winner Joey Mawson to the multiple BFGoodrich Motorsport Australia Off Road Cup and RSEA Safety Motorsport Australia Rally Cup winners, all drivers who took out silverware in 2021 were celebrated.

In addition to celebrating champions, plenty of individuals received accolades for their special achievements behind the wheel, including van Gisbergen’s current Triple Eight Race Engineering teammate, Broc Feeney – the Dunlop Super2 Series champion having a dominant year in series with four wins and four further podiums.

After many years of heartbreaking retirements or multiple podiums at the iconic Tatts Finke Desert Race, popular Queenslander Toby Price was named as the 2021 Peter Brock Medal winner having finally broken the drought in securing the event last year.

Another individual who also had a good year in international off road racing was 2016 ARC champion Molly Taylor, whose work in the FIA Girls on Track program and time as a Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships presenter, as well as her many events as a competitor,saw her rewarded with the Personality of the Year Award.

The final driver to be celebrated on the night was 2021 FIA Formula 2 Championship winner Oscar Piastri – the Victorian’s rare achievement of winning a consecutive international title for the third year in a row seeing him pick up the Sir Jack Brabham award, as previously announced.

While Piastri was presented this award at the start of the year, the virtual presentation allowed another opportunity to recognise his remarkable run of form in international junior categories. 

The FIA Formula 1 World Championship hopeful wasn’t the only one to be acknowledged during the presentation after receiving their honour earlier this year, with fellow Victorian Henk van den Dungen having been named as the FIA 2021 Senior Official of the Year.

As for Australian officials, there were a number of individuals honoured, with West Australian Roger Budz receiving the Australian Motor Sport Official of the Year for his time volunteering in the state’s off road and rally community. 

Taking out the prestigious Phil Irving Award was Supershock founder Oscar Fiorinotto, who has spent years working his way up the ranks as an innovative engineer in the Repco Supercars Championship, contributing to the development of the championship. 

The award is named in honour of the remarkable achievements of the late Phil Irving OBE – an outstanding Australian engineer who had an impact on both Australia and the world stage and recognises outstanding skill and achievements by an individual who is devoted to making positive contributions to competitive motorsport.

Another individual excelling in the chosen field to contribute to motorsport was IT expert and former MG Car Club of Victoria President, Michael Herlihy.

Herlihy was awarded the Presidential Citation for having a major contribution to the development of Motorsport Australia’s new IT structures, which made navigating through the organisation’s website and membership portal more accessible. 

Media were also recognised in the evening with Wayne Webster, Garry Wilkinson, Mark Oastler and Andrew MacLean celebrated for their service to the sport.

South Australian Daniel Kalisz was named as the Photographer of the Year, while veteran journalist Mark Fogarty was presented with the Journalist of the Year Award. 

Other award winners included photographer Aaron Wishart’s snap of the returning Bathurst 1000 crowd earning him Photo of the Year, Andrew van Leeuwen’s ground-breaking story on David Reynolds saw him receive Story of the Year and Aaron Noonan received the Best use of Digital Media Award for V8 Sleuth's impressive display in the digital space. 

The replay of the Awards is available below.