LONG BEACH GRAND PRIX : Notebook : Trans-Am Driver Croft Remains in Critical Condition

Trans-Am driver Dan Croft of Seal Beach remained unconscious and in critical condition in St. Mary Hospital Trauma Center Sunday after his first-lap accident in Saturday’s race.

He has severe brain injury and fractured ribs, according to the medical report.

Croft’s was only the second serious injury on the Long Beach street course in 14 years, along with the 1980 Formula One incident involving Swiss driver Clay Reggazzoni, who was paralyzed from the waist down.

Croft, 47, started near the rear of the 38-car field and crashed off three walls during the first, aborted start of the race, crossing the track twice.

Current speculation is that something broke in the rear of his car and sent him out of control. Croft had changed the rear end three times recently.

Don Alexander, a member of the track rescue team that was first on the scene, said Croft’s safety harness and roll cage remained secure and his seat firmly fastened to the frame of his car.

“But he kind of glanced off the outside wall, then spun and went across the track,” Alexander said. “Judging by the damage to the car, the real impact was to the inside wall. His harness probably stretched, which it’s supposed to do, and his head probably hit the roll cage or something.”

The crew peeled the roof off the car to remove Croft, “although he could have been removed without taking off any part of the car,” Alexander said. “We just wanted to be careful.”

Sports Car Club of America officials will conduct a detailed investigation of the cause of the accident.

Teo Fabi’s new Porsche-powered March almost didn’t make it to the starting line of Sunday’s CART race but will return for the Indianapolis 500 next month, team manager Al Holbert said afterward.

The option would be to put the “Porsche Indy” engine in the reworked Porsche chassis--a commitment-of-no-return the team is not yet ready to make.

Fabi stalled at the head of the main straightaway as the rest of the field roared past to the green flag. He got a push start from track workers but then stalled for good after four laps.

Nevertheless, Holbert said: “We think we have a good engine and plan to do more engine development work before Indianapolis. Our biggest problem right now is time.”

Fabi planned to go home to Milan, Italy, for a while, then return for testing.

Roberto Guerrero may be the first race driver to be sponsored by a book.

Team owner Vince Granatelli announced Sunday that L. Ron Hubbard’s best seller, “Dianetics,” has become an associate sponsor of the STP Lola.

Granatelli said the move was “a major breakthrough in motorsports (with) enormous ramifications.”

Actually, Guerrero’s run was a short story Sunday. His car quit after 41 of the scheduled 95 laps.

Bakersfield’s Scott Atchison continued his drive toward CART rookie of the year laurels with a ninth-place finish. This, with his 12th place at Phoenix, gives the 25-year-old five points.

“Hopefully, we can keep on doing this, picking up a place or two at every race,” Atchison said. “It’s a great learning experience. Our goal was to finish both races, and we did it. I’m feeling more comfortable with every ride.”

Consistency is the key to winning championships, and Bobby Rahal displayed that consistency again Sunday.

When he finished second, it was the 11th time in the last 16 Indy car races that the two-time champion has finished in the top three.

Times staff writer Shav Glick contributed to this story.