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Can anyone tell me why Alvaro Bautista looked as though going to be a real force in WSBK and then suddenly faded away?

I think it was a combination of Kawasaki and Johnny Rae upping their game and the pressure of leading the championship and being expected to win getting to Alvaro. Then he got a big-money offer from Honda to ride/develop the new Fireblade and he was starting from behind again.

This article from Visordown also indicates that the team got a bit too clever and started fixing stuff that wasn't broke...

https://www.visordown.com/news/racing/w ... -collapsed

Good answer Mr Mango. I agree. I also think when coming from GP to WSB he was pin sharp and had one of the best teams behind him. That and a new scene I reckon was all good for his confidence (rather than entering a weekend knowing he'd be Top 10 at best). Then the pressure set in and the cracks appeared..