I don't believe it was a mismatch of equipment as much as I do rotation.  I'm guessing that since Chris decided to attack the lanes straighter, he used less axis rotation to cut down his angles.  However, I'm sure with the amount of practice, TV lights and transition, more axis rotation was the answer.  This allowed the ball to push and react downlane.  That's why Pete's look was so good (and Kent once he switched to the HawgZilla).  I believe that had he increased his rotation (more around the ball), the Radical would have matched up better.