By Brad D. Bates
C & G Sports Writer

FRASER — In hydroplane racing, few names have as much history as George Simon.

George Simon Sr., a World War II Navy pilot who passed away in 1998, drove Miss U.S. — named after his company, U.S. Equipment — from 1953-56.

“At 5 or 6 years old, we used to go walking in the pits on the Detroit River with my dad,” George Simon Jr. said. “We were so proud to walk around with our dad and see how well-known he was.”

After retiring from driving the Miss U.S. in 1956, George Simon Sr. remained the boat’s owner for 20 years until winning the 1976 Gold Cup, after which he and the boat retired from competitive racing.

In his tenure, George Simon Sr. witnessed his boat set a world-record speed for piston-powered engines at 200.42 mph in 1962 — a mark that still stands.

So when George Simon Jr. and nephew Joe Simon decided to return to the waters for the Gold Cup’s 100th anniversary July 11-13 on the Detroit River, it was noteworthy, to say the least.

“We kept one of the hulls (of the Miss U.S.) and had it as a display piece,” said George Simon Jr., who lives in Grosse Pointe Farms. “Now we’ve put power in it, and we’re ready to run it.”

George Simon Jr. — now president of U.S. Equipment and Cellular Concepts — completely rebuilt the record-setting boat and will drive it as part of the vintage boat exhibition.

“(George Simon Sr.) had various powers and hulls, but the one we restored is the Miss U.S. 1, the boat that broke the record,” George Simon Jr. said. “Race organizers are really excited because it’s going to add a real sense of history.”

Miss U.S. returns to the Detroit River as a “Detroit” boat that, in taking home the 1976 title on the Detroit River, was greeted as the home team.

“Growing up, there were a number of local boats, and there were always stories about bringing the Gold Cup home,” George Simon Jr. said.

“It was 1976, and we had a red, white and blue boat named Miss U.S. Winning on the bicentennial, everyone was kind of behind us. It was an amazing experience.”

The Simons’ return to racing honors George Simon Sr.’s accomplishments, and not just what he achieved on the water. He was also the key figure in a 1963 legal fight that literally changed the face of racing.

The Internal Revenue Service challenged George Simon Sr. for claiming on his tax return that his boat was a form of advertisement.

After George Simon Sr. proved in court that the boat had generated a significant amount of business, they let the decision stand as precedent.

“(George Simon Sr.) used that boat to open doors for 25-plus years,” Joe Simon, a Grosse Pointe Woods resident, said from Dover Environmental’s offices in Fraser.

“George Simon Sr. won the landmark case that opened the door for all racing sports, whether it’s cars, boats or anything in sports.”

That decision paved the way for Joe Simon and his business partner, Bill Licata, to spur their business.

By sponsoring a competitive boat in the 2008 Gold Cup race, Joe Simon and Licata are following in George Simon Sr.’s footsteps with hopes of increasing business for Dover Environmental, which specializes in industrial environmental services.

“(Licata) bought a very expensive piece of equipment, and I asked, ‘Do we have jobs for this equipment?’ He said, ‘No, but we’ll get some,’” Joe Simon said.

“I started thinking about the Gold Cup and the 100th anniversary.

“I said, ‘We should get a race boat; let’s sponsor a boat.’ That’s how it started.”

Joe Simon hopes Dover Environmental can cash in on racing the same way his uncle did.

“Major companies hire environmental engineering companies, and those people turn around and find contractors like us,” Joe Simon said.

“What we’re using the boat for is to remind the engineering firms that we’re here, and hopefully, that will open the door for them to realize we’re ready to provide environmental services.”

And having the Simon name, and the history behind it, should only help.

“It works,” Joe Simon said of his uncle’s precedent of the financial return for a company that sponsors a boat. “I’m a home team. Dover Environmental is the home team.”

You can reach Sports Writer Brad D. Bates at bbates@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1029.