PIKES PEAK plunder.(Automobile race results.)

Paul Dallenbach overcame a fuel pickup problem, failed brakes, a spin and a stall to win the Falken Tire Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 27. Dallenbach pulled an old single-seat racer out of his dad Wally Sr.'s barn and began working on it last April. He officially entered the race just two weeks ago. It was Dallenbach's second overall win on the 12.42-mile, 156-turn dirt-and-asphalt road to the summit of the 14,110-foot peak, the first coming in 1993. Dallenbach's time of 11:34.70 was well off the all-time record of 10:04.06 set in 1994 by Rod Millen.

Second-fastest time this year went to SCCA ProRally driver Mark Lovell, piloting a Subaru Impreza WRX. Lovell and co-pilot Roger Freeman crossed the finish line in 11:39.63. Third-fastest was another factory Subaru from the ProRally division, driven by Ramana Lage- mann and navigated by Michael Orr, which reached the summit in 11:43.65. The ProRally Mitsubishi Evos, which had been expected to give the Subarus a run, both had driveline problems on race day.

Yeah, sure

According to newspaper reports in Montreal, Normand Legault, promoter of the Canadian Grand Prix and the CART race in Montreal, will replace CEO Chris Pook at CART's helm. One story even quoted Legault saying he has been approached about the job.

Legault has the right connections. He has been Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone's front man in Canada for years, and CART team owner Gerald Forsythe was a prime mover behind the CART race in Montreal. Either Pook or Forsythe (or both) will have control of CART when the move to take CART private is complete (AW, June 23). Of course, other news reports claim Craig Pollock, founder of the BAR F1 team and now a CART owner, has been tabbed to replace Pook. And Pollock's connections are similar to Legault's.

Oh, by the way: Pook's contract runs through the end of 2004, and chances are great that he's not about to be fired. Then there's David Clare, the former Ecclestone lieutenant who was hired as CART's COO earlier this year. Many consider Clare to be Pook's heir apparent (AW, June 9).

The point? There's little substance in the buzz about Pook's imminent replacement, and none of it is coming from inside CART. Pook is not likely to extend his contract with CART for anything other than a consulting role, and he is laying the groundwork for his eventual departure. But finding a replacement is not at the top of his to-do list.