Miss US 1 Hydroplane Web Site

U.S. Equipment and Hydroplane Racing


George Simon	Miss U.S. 1 World Record Holder, 200. 419 mph. driver Roy Duby

The year was 1946. Worid War II was just over, and the U.S. government was looking to sell tons of wartime machinery in order to get America back to a peacetime economy. Now, qualified dealers could sell machinery from the government stockpile and make a commission.

Following his tour of duty as a naval pilot during the war, George Simon returned to Detroit and took advantage of the government's program. He soon found himsetf selling refurbished machinery from his mother's house. Expansion soon followed as his business grew and, along with his brothers Joe and Al, the U.S. Equipment Company was bom.

George needed something to bring notariety to his company. The annual summer boat races on the Detroit River were extremely popular, and George thought if his company had a boat to race that they could spur interest in a lot of people, including buyers. He contacted boat builder Dan Arena, who fashioned George's first Miss U.S. in 1953.

Not only did George race his new boat, he also gave guests 100 mile an hour rides. Miss U.S. became the key that unlocked many doors in the business world for Simon. He raced on for 24 years with a string of state-of-the-art Miss U.S. hydroplanes, ultimately setting the world's straightaway record and winning the APBA Gold Cup.

The Record

On a rainy morning in 1962, chief mechanic Roy Duby took Miss U.S. 1 out onto Guntersville Lake in Alabama and set a new propeller-driven piston record of 200.419 miles per hour over the measured mile. Although today's jet turbine hydroplanes have gone faster, Duby's record still prevails as the piston-powered standard.

The Gold Cup

It was to be the Simon family's day in the sun, June 27, 1976. With young Tom D'Eath driving, George's 11th Miss U.S. bounced over the rugged Detroit River to win the APBA Gold Cup, It was to be Simon's 24th and last season of hydroplane competition. He had promised his wife, Penny, that if he ever won the Gold Cup, he'd retire from racing. George kept his promise.

Gold Cup winners!
Celebrating Miss U.S.'s 1976 Gold Cup victory are George Simon, George Simon, Jr., and
driver Tom D'Eath


George Simon	Paul Simon	George Simon, Jr.

Today, the business empire that George Simon founded continues to flourish under the leadership of his sons Paul, and George, Jr. The U.S. Equipment Company, and Cell-Con Cellular Concepts carry on the strong traditions of George Simon and Miss U.S.