The votes are closed. The boats for the 2017 America's Cup will be smaller than the initial models, the AC62. From now on, we will have to deal with a new class, hydrofoil catamarans between 45 and 50 feet. " The move to this new class is a big step forward for the America's Cup." said Harvey Schiller, business manager, after the vote.
However, the architecture and design, so dear to the America's Cup, will not be called into question. " The America's Cup, like Formula One, has to be a race in the design of the boats, but also on the water."
The organizers, as well as the teams involved in the race, wanted to make these changes to significantly reduce costs. " The changes are designed to reduce the current costs and complexity of overcoming barriers, both technological and financial, for new teams wishing to enter the America's Cup, explains Ian Percy, Artemis Racing team leader. By making these savings, the America's Cup organization hopes to attract interest from other teams. Asia could be a potential participant and set the wheels in motion for other international teams.
A difficult decision to make
"It was not an easy decision to make." admitted Jimmy Spithill, skipper of Oracle Team USA. " The racing teams, including us, were already working on the design of an AC62. But there is a bigger picture to consider. We needed to cut costs, but we needed to keep the design component, which has always been one of the big challenges to winning the America's Cup."
" To be a global success, the America's Cup must be accessible to the best teams, not just the biggest and richest, said Franck Cammas, skipper of the French team. " So we have to follow that path."
The rule changes were adopted by a majority vote of the Competitors' Forum, which includes the six current teams entered in the America's Cup. An updated protocol and a new class rule will be published this week. The two teams voting against were Luna Rossa Challenge and Emirates Team New Zealand.
