For 1979, the Ford/Zakspeed squad was expanded. Ertl left BMW and joined Heyer for a two-pronged assault on Division 2. Heyer retained the "Mampe" colours but Ertl brought sponsorship from Sachs and his car was painted in blue/white. There were also Zakspeed entries for Dieter Quester, Klaus Niedzwiedz and several other guest drivers.

Heyer and Ertl began in spectacular style with a 1-2 in the first race at Zolder in March. Seven more Division 2 victories followed but they were split between Heyer and Ertl. In the Division 1 category however, Klaus Ludwig's Porsche 935 was unassailable - winning every race and easily taking the overall championship away from Ford. Heyer was Divsion 2 champion but only second overall, trailing Ludwig by 38 points.

Concerned by the clear run that Porsche had in the upper category, Ford undertook to introduce a Division 1 version of the Capri with an uprated 1745cc engine for the September round at Hockenheim. If it was a success, the dominace of the Porsche 935 would be compromised and may allow a Division 2 Capri to take the overall title. The car finished third and convinced Ford to enter both divisions the following year.

In 1980, Heyer moved over to Lancia and Ludwig joined the Ford/Zakspeed team to campaign the promising 1.7 ltr car in Divsion 1. The Capri boasted 600 bhp and, as shown at Hockenheim in September 1979, it proved a match for the 800 bhp Porsche - due in part to the overall aerodynamic/weight advantage of the "Wundercar". Ludwig attained podium positions at the first two races and won the next two rounds at Hockenhiem and the Nurburgring.

Unfortunately however, a row broke out over the Division 1 Capri's new larger rear wing. The width of the structure (as seen above) was slightly greater than the wheel arches and the design was eventually outlawed by the race authorities. Ludwig was stripped of points gained from the two opening rounds at Zolder and the Nurburgring. Ford/Zakspeed introduced a Formula One style ground effect tunnel and side skirts to compensate and gained five Division 1 victories over the season. This was enough to give Ludwig the Division 1 title - but the deducted points relegated him to third in the overall championship.

Meanwhile, the Division 2 entries scored six class victories for drivers Harald Ertl and Klaus Niedzwiedz (with points scoring back-up from Hans Soldeck). At the final race, Ludwig also switched to a Divison 2 car and added a seventh win.

However, it was not enough to beat Heyer's Division 2 Lancia Beta Montecarlo. Heyer's solid performance over the season gave him 156 points and the overall championship - a feat that, after two years and an impressive tally of wins, Ford/Zakspeed were still yet to achieve.