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Sato keeps RLL on top on day two of IndyCar Phoenix test, Power second

Takuma Sato and Will Power topped both of IndyCar's test sessions at Phoenix on Saturday, while four-time champion Scott Dixon spun and clipped the wall

Tony Kanaan's AJ Foyt Racing-Chevrolet sat at the top of the speed chart for much of the evening session but, with 75 minutes to go, Power - who had been at the bottom of the times doing long runs - went out on a fresh set of tyres in his #12 Penske-Chevrolet and sprang to the top.

Power was then deposed at the top of the times by Sato less than 10 minutes later, the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver setting a best time of 19.3790s.

Sato and Power had earlier set the pace in the afternoon session, with Japanese driver's benchmark time a 19.3920s.

"The open test was very successful, I would say," said Sato.

"Lots of things done and lots of things to be tried, and I think over the course of two days we learned a lot.

"[It's a] great car, definitely more exercise for the drivers, definitely busier with low downforce."

Kanaan's earlier benchmark was enough for him to keep hold of third, ahead of reigning champion Josef Newgarden in the #1 Penske-Chevrolet.

Marco Andretti and Alexander Rossi (both pictured above) were fifth and sixth for Andretti Autosport-Honda, and were the final drivers to record laps above the 189mph threshold.

On track action became more frantic in the final 40 minutes of the session following a track inspection as drivers practiced running in traffic.

Dixon appeared to get too close to a car in front and spun in his #9 Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda, making light contact with the Turn 1 wall.

"It was our second or third lap out of the pits," said Dixon. "A couple of the Andretti cars got by and were a little bit slower.

"I got low in [Turns] 1 and 2, touched the throttle and had a bit of a run and lost the rear."

Dixon's best time gave him seventh ahead of last year's Phoenix race winner, Simon Pagenaud, while Spencer Pigot put in a competitive run to end the day ninth fastest in his #21 Ed Carpenter Racing-Chevrolet.

Dale Coyne Racing's Pietro Fittipaldi was an impressive 10th, and top rookie.

AJ Foyt's second driver, rookie Matheus Leist, had whitewalled his tyres at the same spot that Dixon crashed at in the day's earlier test session and also spun there on Friday.

The Brazilian brushed the Turn 4 wall twice later on in Saturday's evening session, but finished the day with the 12th fastest time.

Carlin's Charlie Kimball and Max Chilton were 14th and 16th respectively, sandwiching the second Ganassi of Ed Jones, while Schmidt Peterson Motorsports duo James Hinchcliffe and Robert Wickens were at the bottom of the speed charts.

Afternoon session times

Pos Driver Team Car Time Gap Laps
1 Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Dallara/Honda 19.3920s - 63
2 Will Power Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet 19.4383s 0.0463s 51
3 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda 19.5207s 0.1287s 50
4 Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Dallara/Honda 19.5358s 0.1438s 39
5 Simon Pagenaud Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet 19.5371s 0.1451s 49
6 Sebastien Bourdais Dale Coyne Racing Dallara/Honda 19.5746s 0.1826s 45
7 Ed Jones Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda 19.6019s 0.2099s 81
8 Josef Newgarden Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet 19.6216s 0.2296s 32
9 Matheus Leist AJ Foyt Enterprises Dallara/Chevrolet 19.6296s 0.2376s 50
10 Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Dallara/Honda 19.6410s 0.2490s 39
11 Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Dallara/Honda 19.6468s 0.2548s 72
12 Marco Andretti Andretti Herta Dallara/Honda 19.6760s 0.2840s 15
13 Robert Wickens Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Dallara/Honda 19.7495s 0.3575s 48
14 Pietro Fittipaldi Dale Coyne Racing Dallara/Honda 19.8291s 0.4371s 64
15 Tony Kanaan AJ Foyt Enterprises Dallara/Chevrolet 19.8325s 0.4405s 17
16 Zach Veach Andretti Autosport Dallara/Honda 19.9084s 0.5164s 54
17 Charlie Kimball Carlin Dallara/Chevrolet 19.9569s 0.5649s 71
18 Spencer Pigot Ed Carpenter Racing Dallara/Chevrolet 20.0428s 0.6508s 54
19 Max Chilton Carlin Dallara/Chevrolet 20.0567s 0.6647s 55
20 Ed Carpenter Ed Carpenter Racing Dallara/Chevrolet 20.1436s 0.7516s 56
21 James Hinchcliffe Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Dallara/Honda 20.2463s 0.8543s 91
22 Gabby Chaves Harding Racing Dallara/Chevrolet 20.7197s 1.3277s 27

Evening session times

Pos Driver Team Car Time Gap Laps
1 Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Dallara/Honda 19.3790s - 158
2 Will Power Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet 19.3878s 0.0088s 135
3 Tony Kanaan AJ Foyt Enterprises Dallara/Chevrolet 19.4018s 0.0228s 65
4 Josef Newgarden Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet 19.4257s 0.0467s 121
5 Marco Andretti Andretti Herta Dallara/Honda 19.4658s 0.0868s 118
6 Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Dallara/Honda 19.4729s 0.0939s 107
7 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda 19.5152s 0.1362s 79
8 Simon Pagenaud Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet 19.5763s 0.1973s 125
9 Spencer Pigot Ed Carpenter Racing Dallara/Chevrolet 19.6425s 0.2635s 74
10 Pietro Fittipaldi Dale Coyne Racing Dallara/Honda 19.6521s 0.2731s 118
11 Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Dallara/Honda 19.6608s 0.2818s 137
12 Matheus Leist AJ Foyt Enterprises Dallara/Chevrolet 19.7169s 0.3379s 94
13 Zach Veach Andretti Autosport Dallara/Honda 19.7560s 0.3770s 120
14 Charlie Kimball Carlin Dallara/Chevrolet 19.7618s 0.3828s 101
15 Ed Jones Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda 19.7645s 0.3855s 107
16 Max Chilton Carlin Dallara/Chevrolet 19.8278s 0.4488s 80
17 Gabby Chaves Harding Racing Dallara/Chevrolet 19.9229s 0.5439s 86
18 Ed Carpenter Ed Carpenter Racing Dallara/Chevrolet 19.9759s 0.5969s 66
19 Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Dallara/Honda 20.0313s 0.6523s 101
20 Sebastien Bourdais Dale Coyne Racing Dallara/Honda 20.0785s 0.6995s 92
21 James Hinchcliffe Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Dallara/Honda 20.0983s 0.7193s 71
22 Robert Wickens Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Dallara/Honda 20.1590s 0.7800s 102

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