yes he did..[on a far from factory Kawasaki]..and WSB is a arena where money,technology,experienced team and who knows who is all a extremely important and essential part of being a front runner! there is a big difference between front and middle,tail end machines no question...and at that level it makes all the difference.
Look at the satilite honda teams in MotoGP...alos other teams running same base model bikes in WSBK...etc...no doubt at all the rider is a masive part...
Also...Andrew had another crack as a wildcard at phillip Island a few years ago with some pretty good results considering the specification on his machine! Scroll down to read the first news item about Phillip Island.
http://www.superbikenewzealand.com/news.html
Some of Andrews Achievements.
http://www.superbikenewzealand.com/aboutandrew.html
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