Next month famous faces and big-hearted bikers will ride across America in a charity motorcycle ride celebrating its seventeenth year.

The 17th Anniversary Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America will officially kick off at the High Peaks Resort in Lake Placid, NY on Saturday, May 7, 2011. 

From there, renowned NASCAR driver and announcer Kyle Petty will lead a field of some 175 riders as they make their way down the East Coast to Amelia Island, FL, May 7-14.

Since the charity ride began, more than 6,850 riders have logged 9.8 million cumulative motorcycle miles and donated more than $14 million to charities that support chronically ill children.

The annual trek engages celebrities, ride sponsors, motorcycle enthusiasts, fans and spectators along the route in fundraising endeavors, and has become a much anticipated event.  Petty combined his passion for helping others with his love of motorcycles to create the Charity Ride in 1995.

"As the host hotel for this event, we are proud to support the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America and are thrilled they have selected Lake Placid as the starting point for this year's ride," said John Dodson, General Manager of High Peaks Resort.  "It will be an exciting event that the entire community can share in and we are pleased to be raising funds for this most worthwhile cause."

Riders will rev up their engines to a thunderous sound departing from downtown Main Street and the front of High Peaks on Saturday morning, May 7th and take to the road in an exciting two-by-two procession that the entire community can experience.

To help kick off the event, High Peaks will hold a silent auction to benefit the Kyle Petty charities on Friday, May 6th from 4 to 8 p.m. at the world famous Dancing Bears, known as ‘Lake Placid's Celebration Destination’. Admission is free and open to the public.

Numerous items, some valued at more than $6,000 will be auctioned off during the evening.  According to Dodson, items have been graciously donated by many area businesses and organizations including ORDA (Olympic Regional Development Authority), Lake City Harley Davidson, Whiteface Club & Resort, Jones Outfitters, BagTime, US Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, Coors Light, and more.

High Peaks Resort will present special guest Kyle Petty with a check from the proceeds of the auction for his charities.

Earlier this month, the ride announced its official route and official stops. What started more than a decade ago as four friends wanting to travel from one race track to another has grown into a highly organized motorcycle ride that raises funds for Victory Junction and other children’s charities.

This year Kyle Petty, former NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and Charity Ride founder, will lead a field of more than 175 riders from Lake Placid, N.Y., to Amelia Island, Fla., as they raise awareness and funds for several causes, including Victory Junction, a camp for chronically ill children founded by Kyle and Pattie Petty in honor of their late son Adam.

“The idea for the Charity Ride started back in 1993 with Robin Pemberton (Vice President of Competition, NASCAR), Eddie Gossage (President and General Manager, Texas Motor Speedway) and Michael Dranes (FOX network cameraman) and me just kind of riding from track to track. We called it the “Hey Buddy Tour,” said Petty who currently serves as a racing analyst for TNT and Speed.

In addition to 28 total fuel stops, riders will make overnight visits in Corning, N.Y., Farmington, Pa., Irvington, Va., Wilmington, N.C., and Mt. Pleasant, S.C., during their 2,400-mile trek down the East Coast. Celebrities scheduled to join for all or part of the trip include ESPN NASCAR analyst Brad Daugherty, former NFL great and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker and NASCAR driver and Bo-Dyn Olympic bobsled founder Geoff Bodine.

Fans and spectators along the Charity Ride route may contribute through the Charity Ride’s “Small Change. Big Impact.” program, which accepts donations at pit stop locations. Fans may also follow Petty and the riders on several social media pages, including facebook.

Since the Charity Ride’s inception in 1995, 6,850 participants have logged more than 9.8 million cumulative motorcycle miles and donated more than $14 million to Victory Junction and other charities that support chronically ill children. The 2010 Charity Ride raised enough money to send 180 children to Victory Junction for a five-day session free of charge.

“What began as a few friends having a good time riding has turned into what we have today. Once we got started, we decided we needed to give back to the towns we rode through, so we started donating to children’s hospitals along the way,” Petty notes, “The past few years though, it’s really enabled us to make a difference at Victory Junction. We’ve built a water park and sent hundreds of kids to camp all because a bunch of people like to ride. It’s pretty amazing to me.”