RE: Improper break-in
Since this was on the ground, its unlikely he did any damage. Just fly the engine. The reason to set the needle to the rich side of peak is so that when it leans out in flight, it won't hurt the engine. If you're just on the ground, running the engine at peak won't have the leaning problems you run into in flight. If there's still plenty of oil in the exhaust, and its not blackened, and there's no metal particles in the exhaust, the engine is probably fine.
Brad