There will be four major winners on Tour Ireland this year, the Irish edition of Tour Britannia (13-15 May), when the classic race and rally tour crosses the water for some outstanding closed-road competition.As well as the overall winners in both the competition and regularity events and the award for the leading pre-1966 car, the fourth major award will be for the winners of the Index of Performance. The Index allows cars of all ages and engine size to compete equally for a major award.“The Index of Performance is designed to take into consideration the wide range of ages and vehicle power to weight ratios that we have entered,” said event director Alec Poole. “It ensures that a relevant 'handicap' is applied to allow any car and entrant the opportunity of winning our most prestigious award.”In 2014, Mike Smith and Peter Thomas took victory in the Index of Performance in their Ford Escort Mk1. In the overall results, they took sixth place. Smith has already entered Tour Ireland, this time in a later Ford Escort Mk2.There is a new cut-off date for competing cars on the 2015 event, with Tour Britannia adopting the new FIA date of the end of 1989.“The FIA has stated that it believes this new date should stand firm for the foreseeable future and we understand that the MSA will soon follow suit in terms of UK rallying,” said Poole. “So, we are falling in line with this new date and will be running a class for cars built up to the end of 1989. This is another reason to put a renewed emphasis on the Index of Performance.”To maintain the friendly atmosphere and camaraderie for which the event is renowned, entries will be limited and regulations and entry forms are now available from the event website: www.tourbritannia.com