Kirk Richard McCarthy (18 November 1966 – 15 August 2004), in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

Victoria, Australia Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in ...

, was an Australian

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruisin ...

road racer Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on publ ...

who competed in several major championships both at home and internationally. He was killed in an Australian Superbike Championship race at

Queensland Raceway Queensland Raceway nicknamed "the paperclip" is a motor racing circuit located at Willowbank in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. The circuit did host Supercars Championship until 2019, drifting as well as club level racing and ride days. Qu ...

in 2004.

Superbikes

McCarthy began racing in the Australian Superbike Championship in 1992, for the Ansett

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team. In 1994 he joined the crack

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Honda team, and went on to win the 1995 title. This earned him a factory

Superbike World Championship Superbike World Championship (also known as WorldSBK, SBK, World Superbike, WSB, or WSBK) is a silhouette-class road racing series based on heavily modified production motorcycles, also known as superbike racing. The championship was founded i ...

ride with

for 1996, finishing 13th overall without a podium. In 1998 he did five

Supersport World Championship The Supersport World Championship, abbreviated to WorldSSP, is a motorcycle racing competition on hard-surfaced circuits, based on mid-sized sports motorcycles. Competition machines were originally based on production-based motorcycles with 600 ...

race's (one step below World Superbike, with less powerful machines) on a

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finishing only one race in the points. A year in the German Superbike Championship for

, and two years back with

but in the British Supersport Championship, followed. In 2002 he won the AMA Pro Thunder series on a

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(having initially entered the season-opener as a one-off rider), before he returned to Australia, running his family's farm alongside his racing commitments. He was 7th overall in the Australian Superbike Championship in 2003.

Grand Prix

He contested the 1997 500cc World Championship on a

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,''The Age'' 19 August 2004
/ref> (with a best result of 12th and best grid position of 18th)

Legacy

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. Each year, one rider will be selected to receive the Kirk McCarthy Memorial Award, which will be in the form of financial and product support to contest the following year's ASC. The award is open to riders in all ASC classes. A perpetual trophy will be awarded to the recipient, who will also receive a replica of the trophy at the annual ASC presentation dinner.

Career results

Grand Prix

World Superbike Championship

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Supersport World Championship

References

Career Stats at MotoGP

Career Stats at SBK
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCarthy, Kirk 1966 births 2004 deaths Australian motorcycle racers Superbike World Championship riders Supersport World Championship riders 500cc World Championship riders Motorcycle racers who died while racing