TALAN Skeels-Piggins said he feels "on top of the world" after bagging an international motorbike racing title - 12 years after a bike crash left him paralysed from the chest down.

Earlier this month, the 44-year-old who grew up in Constantine claimed first place in the 600cc Paraplegic class at the Bridgestone World Cup held in Vallelunga, Italy.

His rise to the podium top started in 2012 when he retired from skiing, which saw him compete at the Winter Paralympics and claim the European Championship title, and obtain a full racing licence, making him the first paralysed person to compete against able bodied riders.

During the race, Skeels-Piggins qualified in tenth place and finished second overall behind Italian arm amputee Umberto Lisanti, which gifted him the paralysed title.

Speaking to the Packet, Skeels-Piggins, who now lives in Surrey, said it was a great moment of his career, but he now has his sights set on a fresh challenge.

Skeels-Piggins said: "It feels absolutely fantastic to be the world champion.

"It has been a long journey to get to where I am now and there has been a lot of help and support from others along the way, so this victory is a credit to them as well and a nice way of paying back their support.

"This is probably the biggest achievement in my sporting career alongside my European skiing title, although the thing I'm still proudest of is the charity I set up after my accident and the work we do with that.

"Now I am want to attempt an landspeed record and I'll be undertaking a fact finding mission on my bike up in Yorkshire this week to see how fast we can go before hopefully going over to the USA for the record next year."

A former PE teacher and Royal Navy lieutenant, Skeels-Piggins was involved in a motorbike crash on March 8, 2003 which left him paralysed from the chest down after his back shattered and neck fractured.

He started a period of rehabilitation which saw him venture into the world of Paralympic skiing and also start a motivational speaking career.

After retiring from skiing three-years-ago, Skeels-Piggins turned his focus back to motorbikes, setting up Talan Racing and since then he has competed against many able bodied racers.

Special modifications have been made to his bike which allows him to control the throttle and brakes with his right hand, the clutch with his left and the gear shifts with buttons by his thumbs.

Despite what happened 12-years-ago, Skeels-Piggins said he had no fears about getting back on a bike, although his time on the track did nearly kill him in August 2013.

"I'm strapped onto the bike with Velcro and toe clips," he explains.

"However, when we started out we used a lot of Velcro and during a race in Holland I had bad crash, but was effectively stuck to the bike, so I basically cartwheeled along the track.

"I broke a lot of bones and severed an artery in my leg which nearly killed me because of the blood loss.

"I love racing though and it gives me great happiness as it allows me to forget about my disabilities as I am just another rider on the grid.

"The other able riders sometimes don't realise either and there was a race recently where I had a long battle with someone and then left him gobsmacked when we spoke afterwards and he realised I was paralysed."