2014 TCC rating cap for the Mini Maxi Racing category set at 1.607

In compliance with the IMA class rule 2.5.2.1 (“The maximum IRC TCC will be assessed annually by the IMA ATO, with the approval of the officers, to account for annual revisions to the IRC rule which result in changes of the calculation of IRC TCC and may increase or decrease”), the ATO, with the cooperation of the IRC Rating office, has analyzed the effect of the 2014 IRC rule changes on the TCC values of all Mini Maxi Racing category boats. The process involved comparing the 2013 TCC values for seven boats to the equivalent 2014 TCC values. In addition, the ATO evaluated the difference between each boat's 2013 TCC value and the 1.600 rating cap that was in effect during the 2013 season and the amount of increase that occurred for each boat for 2014.

Further information provided by the IRC Rating Office has indicated that one of the most significant changes to the 2014 IRC rule is the increased emphasis on the effect of stability. Not all boats increased their TCC values for 2014 by the same amount dependent upon various factors within the IRC calculation. However, documentation from the rating office indicates that stability calculation changes would most likely impact light racing boats.

Since the IRC Technical Committee has elected not to change the text for the 2014 IRC rule 21.1.6. (b) dealing with moveable mast steps and adjustable headstays, no consideration was given to any effect of that rule on the 2014 rating cap.

The process this year involved reviewing comparative data for seven boats that competed in 2013, reviewing opinions from project managers of those seven boats and an opinion from a 2013 owner who currently has a boat in build. It also involved experimenting with several alternatives based on objective criteria that could be used as a basis for recalculation in subsequent years if the IRC algorithm for calculating TCCs in the future if more changes occur. A review of actual certificates seems to indicate that the effect of stability, which varies boat to boat, probably accounts for the major differences between 2014 TCC values compared to 2013. The largest increase was .011, the smallest .002. The weighted average increase for all seven boats was .007.

Therefore, after careful consideration of the actual numbers for all boats, and in order not to penalize any boat unfairly, the ATO recommends a 2014 TCC rating cap for the Mini Maxi Racing category be set at 1.607.

The recommendation was approved by the Officers at the meeting in London on 6 February, 2014.

Pete Lawson
IMA ATO
07/02/2014