Plug for a former Brit-car company

[aeronca65t]

A little plug for a friend and former student of mine......

Years ago, Royale was a British company famous for state of the art Formula Fords. They also built others cars such as sport racers.

In the mid-80s, Royale sold most (but not all) of their assets to American investors and the company moved to Georgia.
The American company continued to built new Royales but also had a strong connection providing support for vintage FFs.

Last year my former student, Graham Long could not get the spares he needed for his boss's pranged Royale. So he built the parts himself (including front A-frames, frames pieces, etc).
His boss, Chris Shoemaker realized that Graham could easily build an entire Royale.
And he also discovered that the American owner wanted to retire and sell the Royale company.
So Chris, Graham and another racer bought the company.

They have all the body molds, welding jigs, fixtures, trademark rights, etc.

So, if you know anybody who needs parts for their Brit or US-built Royale, contact Graham via the number on their website.

https://www.royaleracingllc.com/

or write him directly at:

graham.long@royaleracingllc.com/

Graham's a neat kid. Just finished his Masters Degree (in ME) and is accepted into a doctoral program. Besides being an excellent fabricator, he's also skilled at sailing. He just finished building a nice wooden sail boat and has sailed to Bermuda and The Carribean in his uncle's sailboat. He and his uncle are making plans for an around the world sailing adventure.

He also kicked my butt in kart racing last weekend.

 

[DART]

Shows what a good teacher can inspire. Nice job Nial!

 

[Twosheds]

Doesn't it make you feel good when a grad does well?

 

[Hap Waldrop]

Godd deal, I remember Hugh Klienpeter very well, he ran the Royale company out of Hiwasee, GA, I pitted beside them for a few years at the Road Atlanta SCCA run-offs when I had the Huffaker MGB, he sold the comapny to guy, if I remember correctly by the last name of Richard Morgan, a Brit living in Florida, who race Sports 2000. I met Klienpeter thru my good friends Les Parker and Ed Zink.

 

[aeronca65t]

I met Klienpeter thru my good friends Les Parker and Ed Zink.

Wow! Ed Zink!

*The* Formula Vee guy! :thumbsup:

 

[bgbassplyr]

Hap> 'thru my good friends Les Parker and Ed Zink.'

Les and I hauled and crewed a Formula 5000 McLaren, Bud Moore Ford engine, out to Cal. for the 2 races in L.A. and Monterey in 73. Ed had put the car together for the owner and Harry Ingle was driving it. Les is a great guy.
Knew Ed and Les for several years because I sold Harry his first race car and twisted wrenches for him from drivers school up until he bought Zink Cars and moved them and Ed to Charlotte. He ran one season in the TR3 and then moved to FV and then the first Zink SV.

I also remenber being at a lot of races where Hugh was.

If you don't know of it, there is a great web site with all of the history of VIR, and tons of pictures. Everybody from me to Carroll Shelby.

So, why don't I know or remember you? Oh yeah, forgot that I'm an oldfot.

Jim Browne

 

[aeronca65t]

If you don't know of it, there is a great web site with all of the history of VIR, and tons of pictures. Everybody from me to Carroll Shelby.

Yes!

~This One~

 

[bgbassplyr]

That's the one.
https://www.virhistory.com/vir/65-jul/scca.htm
Fourth pix down on the left is me.

 

[DART]

Thanks for the link, guys. I could spend all night reading the 1960's race reports. Amazing the names that were racing then! Even some C Production wins for a Daimler SP.250 (thank you Duncan Black)

 

[Hap Waldrop]

I met Klienpeter thru my good friends Les Parker and Ed Zink.

Wow! Ed Zink!

*The* Formula Vee guy! :thumbsup:

Yep, he's the one, he did formula Fords as well. I met Ed thru Les,
Les Parker and Gordon Strickland (owner of the B Hive) came over form the UK to work at Burgin Triumph, which was about mile down the road from my dad's car business, we used to haul all the new Triumphs in from the Charleston port to Greenville for Burgin, then we drive them the mile down the road to the dealership, I can tell you the ones I drove got a workout Anyway Les left Burgin and went USAC and Indy car racing, as wrench, Gordon went on to start the B Hive. Les met Ed thru racing, Ed is the nephew of the famous John Zink of Indy car fame. Later Les moved back to Cahrlotte and strted PAS Auto Shop, they repaired Porsche, Ferrari, Jag, anything foriegn and out of the norm. In the back of the shop Les mostly did race car work, he and Ed designed and built a few sport racers there. I had to travel to Charlotte weekly on business and sell cars at a near by auto auction, I would have to wait several hours each week on my checks, so I would go hang out with Les and Ed and watched many racer come to life in that shop. I learned alot from those two guys. I used to give Ed, by his request a new Team Moon Racing hat every year, he always wore them , he loved those hats. I can remember Ed designing new Zink Formula 440s on scratch pad for Tommy Efland to build the new year's chassis with, to Ed this was simple chore, like you and I scratching our noses Man, I miss those guys.

Funny story, Les and I would get pit spots side by side each year at the Road Atlanta runoffs, and Hugh Klienpeter and the Royale crowd used to get right beside us, Les used to display a sign in front of his pit spot to get Klienpeter all tore up, the sign simply said,

"In German Klien means small"

 

[Hap Waldrop]

Small world Jim, I met back up with Les and met Ed at Charlotte shop, by then it was mostly preparing and building cars for club racers. As a young man I was fasinated by the storys these guys would tell, it was only later in life that I became aware I was in the presence of greatness at the time. Les and Ed taught me alot, I still string align race cars the way they taught me, I was just knucklehead 20 something year old, wanting to cram as much about racing in my head as I could, those guys were patient with me, and took the time to explain things to a young knucklehad like me.

 

[bgbassplyr]

Hap, I'll have to get by your shop the next time I'm in Greenville so we swap more stories and tell more lies about those times. I, too, used to bring cars from the port to Charlotte, but we DROVE them, not transported.

Jim

 

[Hap Waldrop]

Jim, sorry lost track of this post, you're welcome to come by anytime.