American rider Roger Hayden will be in attendance at the 2015 Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix with a special Suzuki GSX-R->ke2088 decked out in a special livery to commemorate the bike’s 30th anniversary. It’s going to be a big weekend for the GSX-R and Suzuki->ke371 is making sure that the bike gets the attention it deserves.

As such, Hayden will be riding a GSX-R1000 that’s been dressed up in the red and black colors that adorned Kevin Schwantz’s bike when it made its debut at the AMA Superbike round in Yoshimura, Japan back in 1986. Hayden himself will be dressed for the occasion, which in this case is a custom-commemorative race suit that’s consistent with what his Yoshimura Superbike crew will wear. Heck, even the tire warmers will carry the same tribute livery for one of the most important race bikes to compete in the US.

All together, Hayden and his entire crew will use the weekend to celebrate a momentous occasion in Suzuki’s long and storied motor racing history. The team will be competing in the Indy MotoAmerica Superbike race, determined, I think, to win it for the Suzuki GSX-R1000. That would be a fine tribute to the bike. It’s fitting, too, since the GSX-R holds the record as the all-time wins leader in AMA Superbike history. More importantly, it’s also the same bike that’s largely credited for being the first of its kind to bring cutting edge Grand Prix design and technology to the public roads.

Anybody who knows about the history of motorcycle racing in the US still hold reverence to the success that’s been credited to the GSX-R. So as Suzuki celebrates the bike’s 30th anniversary, there’s no better way to pay homage to one of the finest machines the AMA Superbike has ever seen than by celebrating its anniversary in the Brickyard, long considered as America’s most hallowed racing ground.

Continue reading to read more about Suzuki’s 30th anniversary plans for the GSX-R.

Why it matters

The Suzuki GSX-R is one of the most underrated racing bikes in history. That’s largely attributed to its age since a lot of riders these days are not as familiar with the GSX-R’s history compared to its more recent contemporaries. The truth is, the GSX-R was a pioneer and a trailblazer.

When the first GSX-R hit the market in 1985, it represented a breakthrough from any of the four Japanese manufacturers - Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, and Kawasaki - as the first among a long line of “race bikes with lights” that changed the industry to what it is now.

The GSX-R’s contributions to the evolution of the modern-day race bike is another big reason why Suzuki is going to painstaking lengths to celebrate the bike’s 30th anniversary.

Having Roger Hayden ride the commemorative GSX-R1000 race bike while decked with the anniversary livery is a tremendous way for the Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing team to extend some kind of flair and pizzazz to the MotoAmerica Superbike race. I’ll definitely have my eyes on this race because I want to see how Hayden performs in the race with the anniversary GSX-R1000. Wouldn’t it be great if the American rider wins the race for Suzuki? That would serve as the perfect homage to a bike that paved the way for so many others of its kind.