The new 10/10ths Motor Club Grand Opening took place on April 4th and 5th, with the festivities kicking off with two races by Historic Trans Am Series cars.

You ca almost hear the roaring grumble of the massive V8 engines under the hoods of the historic cars competing at the 10/10ths track. The sounds, smells, and feel of old-school road racing meets a brand-new, state-of-the art track and facility just outside of two turns of the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

What era are these cars from?

The first-ever sanctioned racing event held at this track is part of the Heritage Invitational, and it features cars from the 1960s and 1970s roaring around the track to see who would make it to the podium. These legendary muscle cars roar around the track that are actual Trans Am race cars, not reproductions. It’s amazing they continue to race hard more than 50 years after their model years, taking on the winding course of the 10/10ths track in two adrenaline-filled races.

What was the Camaro Advantage?

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to turn the wheel in your modern vehicle while going slowly as it is while driving at highway speeds? This phenomenon is the result of power steering, which is a standard feature in nearly every modern vehicle. Back in the heyday of muscle cars, power steering wasn’t a standard feature. This meant that cars driving at slower speeds were more laborious to turn and control than while driving at higher speeds. The inclusion of power steering was the advantage for the Camaros during the Heritage Invitational, hosted by the 10/10ths Motor Club.

Power steering allows a vehicle to turn more easily at slower speeds than it otherwise would. The system uses a hydraulic system to multiply force applied to the steering wheel inputs to the vehicle’s steered road wheels. This hydraulic pressure comes from a gerortor or rotary pump driven by the engine. In a nutshell, cars with power steering allow the driver to turn the wheels at slower speed without working as hard to do so.

Most tracks don’t offer the power steering advantage

When you’re racing around a track at high speeds, using long straights and sweeping curves that allow your car to remain at a high speed through the curve, power steering isn’t a factor. The Historic Trans Am racing series features many muscle cars devoid of power steering, but the Chevrolet Camaro models have this feature. This item that isn’t an advantage at most tracks can be an advantage at a road course with 13 turns over the 1.1 miles of racing that was on display during the inaugural races at the 10/10ths track.

The Chevrolet Camaro’s might not be the only cars at the Historic Trans Am races at 10/10ths with power steering, but they certainly found ways to take advantage through some of the tight turns, which must be taken at slower speeds. It seemed that sharper and slower turns offered a distinct advantage for these Chevy muscle cars over their foes.

Two types of power steering

In modern vehicles, you could have one of two types of power steering available. Hydraulic power steering is the traditional form of this feature, and what would have been part of the Camaros racing in the Historic Trans Am series races. The latest system is called electric power steering, and it is a little different from the hydraulic form but still effective.

Which system is better?

What separates these two steering systems, other than their names? Here are some things to consider:

• Hydraulic power steering systems are complicated and have lots of moving parts. Electric systems are simpler.
• Hydraulic systems tend to be heavier than electrical systems
• Hydraulic systems require fluid, which must be changed periodically; electric systems don’t use any fluid
• Hydraulic systems are more challenging to repair due to complexity
• Hydraulic systems rely on engine power to operate, which saps some of the power. Electric systems receive power indirectly from the engine via the battery. Electric systems only draw power when you’re turning the wheel, but hydraulic systems use power at all times.
• Electric power steering provides a more consistent steering experience at different speeds.

Why do most drivers prefer hydraulic systems?

Despite the advantages of an electric power steering system, the continuous feedback from the hydraulic fluid, which constantly puts pressure on the steering wheel, makes hydraulic systems preferable to electric ones. That said, you should expect to see more vehicles with electric power steering now and in the near future, but the Camaros racing at the 10/10ths have hydraulic systems.