Kirk Richard McCarthy (18 November 1966 – 15 August 2004), in Melbourne Victoria, Australia, was an Australian motorcycle road racer who competed in several major championships both at home and internationally.

[1] McCarthy began racing in the Australian Superbike Championship in 1992, for the Ansett Suzuki team.

This earned him a factory Superbike World Championship ride with Suzuki for 1996, finishing 13th overall without a podium.

In 2002 he won the AMA Pro Thunder series on a Ducati (having initially entered the season-opener as a one-off rider),[3] before he returned to Australia, running his family's farm alongside his racing commitments.

He contested the 1997 500cc World Championship on a Red Bull Yamaha,[4] (with a best result of 12th and best grid position of 18th) In conjunction with a number of industry partners, his family has established an award program to assist young riders in contesting future Australian Superbike Championship (ASC) seasons.