BINGHAM – The local all-terrain vehicle club is calling on ATV enthusiasts from across New England to get ready for a 110-mile ride to raise money for autism research.

The 12-hour event isn’t until Aug. 4, but Moose Alley Riders ATV Club board member Jeff Ireland, of Madison, is starting the push for awareness now.

April is autism awareness month, and recently the Centers for Disease Control estimated one out of every 88 children has a form of autism.

Using 2008 data, the findings showed an increase of more than 20 percent from a study two years earlier. Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction and communication.

Ireland said the club aims to sign up 1,000 riders in the coming months and raise more than $100,000 for the National Foundation for Autism Research, a nonprofit group based in California.

It will work with Maine’s Lisbon Hardcore Riders ATV Club and Ohio’s PWD Off Road club, which accommodates people with disabilities for off-road adventures.

Participants will start in Bingham, ride their ATVs to Moosehead Motorsports in Greenville Junction for a barbecue and then head back to Bingham. Ireland said the route is not for beginners. The suggested donation to enter will be $15.

In addition to riders, Ireland is looking for sponsors and volunteers to help cook, sign up riders and ride behind the crowd to help anyone who might need assistance. For more information, contact Ireland at business@moosealleyriders.org or 696-9977, ext. 3.

Morning Sentinel Staff Writer Erin Rhoda can be contacted at 612-2368 or at:

erhoda@centralmaine.com