One of the 1979 cars was bought by Hans Heyer and entered into the exciting German Gr. 5 championship (Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft). The turbo boost was increased to improve performance for the DRM sprint race format and the Montecarlo gained another now famous livery - that of the powder blue "Fruit Of The Loom" brand. Division 2 victories followed at Hockenheim and Mainz-Finthen with a string of top five placings at other rounds ensuring Heyer overall victory (see Gallery for pictures).
As promised by Fiorio, a three car assault on the 1980 24 hours of Le Mans was also made. Unfortunately, engine woes forced out the two works cars early on and the Jolly Club entry managed only 19th overall or second place in the under 2-litre Gr. 5 category.
As the 1980 WCM had been wrapped up by the penultimate round at Vallelunga in early September, Lancia Corse opted to miss the final Dijon 1000 km round in favour of the Giro D'Italia in early November. For the Giro, the works cars had now lost the 'Zebra' livery in favour of the ever-popular red, blue and white Martini Rossi racing colours. A memorable one-two victory for the Corse cars added to another successful season.
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