Royale RP12 history
Ray Allen in the works Royale RP12 at Brands Hatch in April 1972. Copyright Steve Wilkinson 2009. Used with permission.
Despite a lack of interest in the Formula B RP5 and RP8, Royale produced a new design for Formula Atlantic and FB in 1972, the Royale RP12. It achieved significant success in the hands of Tom Pryce before he left Royale in mid-1973.
The chassis frame of the RP12 was essentially the same as the Formula 3 RP11 and Formula Super Vee RP14, with a steel monocoque produced for Royale by Arch Motors. All three models were designed for Royale by Mike Smith and Peter Bohanna, who had previously been responsible for the 1970 Royale RP9 Formula Super Vee. Bohanna was previously with Lola, and would head off to design what eventually became the AC 3000ME road car. The front suspension and overall dimensions of the Smith/Bohanna designs were still based on the successful RP3 Formula Ford. Ray Allen was given the job of developing the RP12 in early 1972 while Tom Pryce was having a very successful start to the season in the prototype F3 RP11. When the RP11 was destroyed at Monaco, Pryce moved into Formula Atlantic with the RP12 and achieved some good results, taking pole position at Brands Hatch in mid-October and winning at the same venue a week later.
Pryce focused on Formula Atlantic in 1973, driving the RP12, now updated to RP12A specification, with sponsorship from D. J. Bond. He took pole at the opening race and won three races in succession in April and May. Unfortunately for Royale, he then joined the Rondel F2 team and the RP12A remained unused until later in the season when it was acquired by David Barden. He drove it a couple of times that year, a couple more in 1974, and entered it again in May 1975. The car is reported to have been destroyed in a fire.
If you can add to our understanding of these cars, or have photographs that we can use, please email Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com.
David Barden in his Royale RP12A at Brands Hatch in 1974. Copyright Gerald Swan 2017. Used with permission.
New for Ray Allen to drive as a works entry in the 1972 British Formula Atlantic series. He failed to start at Brands Hatch in mid-April (engine mount) or at Snetterton in May (misfire), after which Allen focused on his F5000 drive. In July, the car returned with Tom Pryce as the driver, and he won the Yellow Pages Trophy race at Brands Hatch in October. The car was updated to RP12A specification for 1973 with new bodywork, and Pryce was a leading contender in the series, with three pole positions and three wins by early May. Pryce then left the team to move into F2, and the RP12A was taken over by FF driver David Barden, who entered it intermittently over the next two years. Subsequent history unknown but reported to have been destroyed in a fire at some point.
Driven by: Ray Allen, Tom Pryce and David Barden. First race: Snetterton (R13), 9 Jul 1972. Total of 19 recorded races.
Acknowledgements
The primary source for this page was 'Nowhere to hide: The story of Royale Racing Cars' by Paul Lawrence (tfm Publishing Limited, 2001). The comment that the car was destroyed in a fire is from the Royale Register (https://royaleracingllc.com/RRC_Registry.htm).
Thanks to Steve Wilkinson and Gerald Swan for the use of their photographs.
If you can add to our understanding of these cars, or have photographs that we can use, please email Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com.
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