Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Dee signing reveals family member who instilled drive in him
DUNDEE’S new No 1 has never had to look very far to find sporting inspiration.
Jon Mccracken this summer signed a twoyear deal to move back to Scotland with Dundee after enjoying two impressive loan spells last term.
Making it as a professional footballer at any level is tough with serious dedication required.
Helping push that dedication, though, is Mccracken’s half-brother.
Ex-formula One driver Paul DiRest a shares the same mother with Dundee’s newest goalkeeper.
And Mccracken admits there has been some tough love along the way.
“My brother used to be an F1 driver and he is doing the Le Mans endurance racing these days ,” Mccracken revealed.
“He’ s been a huge inspiration to me on loads of different levels.
“It’ s a completely different sport because it’s so individual but being around when he was in F1 it was great to see the levels of determination and drive you need.
“In F1 you have to be so dedicated to it. For example, if you’re just a bit overweight you’re losing seconds every lap.
“So the amount of fitness and conditioning work you have to do is incredible.
“In football it’s easier to stay fit because you’re playing every week, Saturday and then sometimes midweek too.
“But in F1 those guys will sometimes have a race back to back for a few weeks then three weeks without one, so they have to make sure they’re in peak condition all the time.
“They do a lot of travelling too, which obviously takes a lot of time up. But from what I saw with Paul and the other racing drivers, it’s the dedication to being in the best shape all the time that stands out.”
He continued: “Paul has got his ways and he’s been quite harsh on me at times in terms of what you need to do if you’re going to make it at the top level in sport.
“He’s strict and he’s spelled out the levels of dedication you need.
“When I was younger I went to a lot of grand prix to watch him race.
“The one I remember most is going to Monaco, which is always around my birthday.
“We used to go to Silverstone every year, I’ve been to Valencia, Bahrain and loads of other ones.
“I have never minded watching him and I’ve not seen him crash – but my mum hates it.
“She goes to all these places and takes herself off for a walk because she doesn’t want to see him hurtling round bends at 200mph.
“I’ve been very fortunate to get the chance to watch him compete because it’s a different level in that sport.
“I lost my dad (former Ayr defender Dougie Mccracken) at a young age so Paul and my other brother Stefan were there for me growing up. They have been l i ke father figures to me.”
The sporting influence also helped when Mccracken had the chance to move eight hours down the road to Norwich.
The young goalie had come through the ranks at Hamilton Accies and been selected for Scotland U-17s before the call came from Carrow Road.
“Seeing Paul be successful in his sport has definitely helped me, especially with my mum because she saw him go away at a young age to join Mercedes,” he said.