Video: Ferrari Announces Virtual Academy

Ferrari has been in the news a lot recently - but for all the wrong reasons. There has been a string of incidences related to the 458 Italia catching fire due to a certain adhesive used. Following this, Ferrari has issued a recall that effects all Italias.

But now for good news. For most of us, the closest we'll ever get to driving a Ferrari is looking at it (and certainly so with their purpose-built race cars).

Ferrari realizes that, and has created a new Virtual Academy simulator that aims to provide a realistic experience of driving a Ferrari race car. The cost is 15 Euros (about $19 USD) and it was developed using input from Ferrari's engineers.

In addition , each of the tracks (Fiorano, Mugello and the Nürburgring) were mapped using Laser Scan and Motion Capture. Pretty sophisticated stuff! The actual car used is the Ferrari's F10 race car.

There is no word on if Ferrari will add more vehicles or tracks to the game, but we think it is likely that they will - especially if it is a success. Check out the video below to whet your appetite for the simulator's launch on September 9th. You can also check out the website Ferrari created.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8YZHhS0i1I&feature=player_embedded