Is South America a worthy alternative to holding the race in Africa?
The track is a worthy alternative for sure, but the adventure got lost somewhere in the move to South America. Back in Africa, you were 500 or 800 kilometres away from the next village. It really was an adventure on the edge of civilization, especially when the sand storms suddenly started. In South America, if you don't see a truck after 10km, you just have to whistle.

So what was it like in the early 90s?
If you were lucky, the ragpicker (the truck which follows the route picking up drivers who have broken down) picked you up, but it could be a long time before it came. In 1992, I got lost in Libya after a 100-kilometre race through the dunes. I only had a little fuel left and I didn't know if I could make it to the finishing line. That can really put the wind up you.

So what did you do?
I drove to the top of a dune to get a better view. After 30 minutes, a French motocross-driver came by, who was also lost. So I thought by myself a problem shared is a problem halved. Luckily, a Peugeot passed by a little while later and we followed him back at full speed.

The advent of GPS has radically changed rally sport. How did you find your way around?
We had compasses on our bikes. But if you were going at full speed, the needle shook too much. So a lot of us would pin a second compass on our arms. Nowadays it's impossible not to find a point on the roadmap. At the end of the 90s, the technology went so far, that some of the teams operated with satellite images of the track. Now there is standardised GPS for everyone, but I suspect there's still some sleight of hand. After all, these days, you can fit a GPS on your wrist.

Is there anything else you miss about Africa?
But then travelling like this - and getting lost - gives you a different perspective on the life of these people. I was in Cairo and I had crashed. I had a long wait for the helicopter, so I was having a nap. I was woken with a start by a shepherd, who had appeared out of nowhere. We started talking and it turned out, he was taking his flock to market, which was over 1000km away.

Do you think the rally should go back to Africa next year?
Opinions differ: from a commercial point of view, we should go to South Africa because you can reach more spectators and the rewards are therefore greater for sponsors. To me, the Dakar is Africa, but the political situation there makes it a difficult decision.

There was a fatality last week. Is it possible to make the race safer?
You can never fully avoid accidents. We are talking about marathon races, where the pilots cover about a thousand kilometres. It's hard, but then people die when they go to the mountains or hang-gliding. You can lower the speeds, but a rollover can be lethal at 50kph. But one big we can address is that there's authorisation check for the Dakar. If someone has enough money, he can take part. Regardless of whether he is fit enough.

And now for a prediction: will Carlos Sainz and Cyril Despres win?
They're both doing very well, but failing to concentrate for a split-second in the Dakar, it can cost you the race. So it's impossible to be certain. To win the Dakar, you need a lot of luck too.

Visit Heinz's personal site, the official Dakar Rally website, the Volkswagen Motorsport site or Twitter along with driver Mark Miller.

iPhone users can follow all the Dakar action with Volkswagen Motorsport's free Dakar Rally app.