Suzanne Royce (born November 19, 1946) is the former Chief

Scrutineer A scrutineer (also called a poll-watcher or a challenger in the United States) is a person who observes any process that requires rigorous oversight. Scrutineers are responsible for preventing corruption and detecting genuine mistakes and problem ...

in the United States for FIA Formula 1, FIM MotoGP,

Formula E Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is an open-wheel single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. The racing series is the highest class of competition for electrically powered single-seater racing cars ...

, the

FIA World Endurance Championship The FIA World Endurance Championship, abbreviated as WEC, is a world championship for automobile endurance racing organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The se ...

, and other international motorsports events. She was the first woman to be granted an FIA International Chief Scrutineer License in the world, when she received it in 1986. While no definitive list exists, it is believed that (through 2020) she was the only woman to have held this role for Formula One. On November 28, 2020, Royce was honored by the FIA as the Best Chief Scrutineer of the year during its annual Volunteers Weekend recognition. Royce was recognized by COTA and the FIA on October 24, 2021, at the US Grand Prix as she retired from active involvement with international motorsport. Royce died on March 5, 2022, due to complications from COVID-19. She was fully vaccinated, but contracted the virus while in the hospital for routine surgery.

Motorsports career

Royce emigrated from the United Kingdom to the United States in 1970. She began her involvement as a scrutineer with the Detroit Region of the Sports Car Club of America in the early 1970's, serving as Chief Scrutineer for her first regional event by 1976. When Formula 1 came to Detroit in 1982, she volunteered as a member of the scrutineering team. She quickly took on a leadership role, becoming co-Chief Scrutineer in 1985 and taking over the reins independently in 1986. She served as the sole Chief Scrutineer for Formula 1 in the United States from 1985 through 2021. After the United States Grand Prix moved to the Circuit of the Americas (COTA - Austin, TX) in 2012, she was also asked to serve as Chief Scrutineer for other international motorsports events at COTA, Sebring, and various street circuits throughout the US. Fs22 suzanneroyce 800

In 2012, Royce co-authored a book entitled ''Learn & Compete: A Primer for Formula SAE, Formula Student, and Formula Hybrid Teams.'' The book provides an introduction to the engineering and team management aspects that students may want to consider as they participate in the

Formula SAE Formula SAE is a student design competition organized by SAE International (previously known as the Society of Automotive Engineers, SAE). The competition was started in 1980 by the SAE student branch at the University of Texas at Austin after ...

Formula Student Formula Student is a student engineering competition held annually. Student teams from around the world design, build, test, and race a small-scale formula style racing car. The cars are judged on a number of criteria. It is run by the Instit ...

, or

Formula Hybrid Formula Hybrid is a design and engineering challenge for undergraduate and graduate college and university students. Started at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, and sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers, the compe ...

competitions.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Royce, Suzanne 1946 births Living people English emigrants to the United States Formula One people Auto racing people