7 replies to this topic

[Pikachu Racing]

One of the owners I truley miss is Dick Simon. Here's a guy who been racing in USAC/CART the early 70's to the mid 80's then decided to become a full time owner hiring drivers from the talents of Scott Pruett, Jimmy Vasser to the sublime of Hiro Matsushita. He was like a CART/IRL version of Minardi giving drivers a chance of a ride. Drivers involved with him through the years are Raul Boesel, Scott Brayton, Lynn St. James, Arie Luyendyk, Vincenzo Sospiri, Eliseo Salazar, Michele Alboreto to name a few. Jump for a chance in the IRL teamming with Andy Evans as co-owners. Reminds me of NASCAR owner, Junie Dunleavy, been through the years of racing only managing one win in both as driver and owner when Eliseo Salazar took home a win at the IRL Las Vegas race in 1997. Sadly, he ended up at the receiving end of a bad business deal in the co-ownership with Evans. (BTW, Andy Evans if you are reading this let me say, **** YOU. This includes driving down IMSA) In the last two years, he tried to put a team together for the IRL with Stephan Gregoire driving. They had some good results but also a repair bill for the crashes. Then came Indy 2001, when Gregoire struggled put the car in the field. Simon decided to send Gregoire to Heritage Motorsports so he can get in the field. Gregoire manage to do so while Simon goes home and closes his shop for now. I hope he returns back to the field come May 2002 at Indy. I will always respect Dick Simon for the opportunities he gave to drivers whether from the excellent to good to the sublime. Hope he returns to the track.

[Buford]

At one time the FBI was very convinced Dick Simon was the infamous DB Cooper! But they never were able to develope enough of a case to charge him.

[Pikachu Racing]

How the story of the Simon being DB Cooper started?

[Buford]

He was a parachute champion and was from the Pacific Northwest and he needed money at the time because he was between fortunes. They thought he was capable of doing the jump and getting out of the woods. They tried to pin it on him but there was no real evidence other than he was someone who could have pulled it off.

Have you ever heard the hilarious Bob and Tom song, "Dicked Again."? It is about a woman who year after year got Dick Simon in the Indy 500 office pool. And every year she would be "Dicked Again."

[rdrcr]

There's also sort of an inside joke... "Better dick Simon before he dicks you..."

His astute business acumen and street smarts have earned him a reputation for being a rather shrewd businessman. His current racing effort has been curtailed by the lack of adequate sponsorship. This, from his web site:

Last winter, Simon and his team prepared a winning effort and came to the first 2001 race in Phoenix after dominating the "IRL Test in the West" with great ambition. "We were ready to fight for the title this season. I invested everything I had in racing and invested myself 100% to be successful. After the unexpected departure of our major sponsor 10 days before the first race and the financial problems encountered by other of our sponsors, we were faced with a serious budget dilemma. We elected to continue a third season with Stephan Gregoire but unfortunately that did not work out as planned due to our major sponsor’s departure."

After Indy, Dick was interested to race the remainder of the 2001 season if he could find the necessary budget to be competitive but facing the slowing economy and because it’s especially hard to find new sponsors in mid-season, Dick Simon Racing has not participated in an IRL race since May. "A month ago I decided to sell all our racing assets and made a deal this week with Sam Schmidt Motorsports who purchased our assets. Sam is an amazing guy and I have great respect for him and his organization and for what he has accomplished. Selling all our assets was not easy," said Simon. "I shed a couple of tears about this but I am sure I will get over it pretty soon."

Dick Simon’s goal now is to put together a program for the 2002 Indianapolis 500. "I really have 3 to 5 years in front of me to win the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. When you look at this year’s result of the 500, you can see that most of the teams that succeeded there raced only one or two IRL races in 2001. So if you are sufficiently funded, it’s possible! Indy is the largest single day sporting event in the world and sponsors will always be attracted by the fame name. At 68 my priority is now to concentrate on our boat dealership which needs all my attention," announced Dick.

Over the years, the name "Dick Simon" has been synonymous with high-performance, not only in auto racing but also in the power boat industry where Dick owns and manages one of the largest and most successful boat dealerships on the west coast. Based in a 120,000 sq. ft. Dana Point, California marine facility, Dick Simon Marine employs 40 people and carries such prestigious brands as Formula, Cigarette, Outerlimits, Mustang, Albemarle, Baja, and Nordic.

Dick Simon Marine is just down the road from Newport and I have had several occasions to speak with both him and his son Rick about boats and racing. He's quite a character and you won't miss him at Indy, he'll be there.

[Buford]

"Dicked Again" by Bob and Tom

Hillbilly style Indy Girl singer - good tune. Here's the lyrics
-------------------------------------

Every year as the race draws near
In Indy in the month of May
Some stupid fool starts an office pool
And I know I'm gonna to have to play
All the drivers names go in a hat
And I don't mean to be whinnin'
But here come the tears
Because the last ten years
I pulled out the name, Dick Simon

I got dicked again
When I picked again
I'm so sick of pulling Dick
I got, dicked again

And I'm sure you'll remember
If you went to last year's race
Once again Dick Simon was quite a bit off the pace
He was going down, he was getting passed
He was chugging into the pits
As he got out of his ride and stepped to the side
Good ol Dick just called it quits

And I got dicked again
Dick was licked again
I'm so sick of pulling Dick
I got, dicked again

Last night I went out drinkin
And I guess I had too much beer
Some handsome guy put his hand on my thigh
And whispered somethin in my ear
Well it might have been the liquor
And it might have been the heat
But we left the bar and walked out to his car
And he pulled me into his back seat

Then I got dicked again
I got dicked again
I didn't catch his name
But just the same
I got dicked again

I got dicked again
I got dicked again
And come next year I'll be right here
Gettin dicked again

[BRG]

I met Dick Simon breifly when the USAC boys came over to the UK in 1978 (or 9?). Between the Silverstone and Brands Hatch races, there was a scrutineering session on the South Bank in central London, near my office. So I wandered over to see and I was stunned by how open and friendly everyone was. I was quietly looking at the cars, when Dick walked over to me and asked if I could recommend a restaurant nearby for lunch. We had a bit if a chat and I sent him off to "Il Papagallo", a nice little Italian place just over the road.

I was a regular GP attendee at the time and I couldn't believe how accessible the American teams were. Even back then (let alone now) the idea that Ken Tyrrell or Colin Chapman would talk to a total stranger was almost unthinkable. It was a defining moment for me as I realised that maybe there was something to that oval racing stuff after all....well, that and seeing the cars on track (I still haven't forgotten how quick Danny Ongais was at Brands Hatch).

[stevew]

"Dicked Again" by Bob and Tom

Bob and Tom are something else!