Firm bids to rocket a record attempt past 1,000mph mark

The £10m British-made Bloodhound Supersonic Car has a rocket system which the designers hope will help the vehicle smash the record.

Dewsbury firm Chem Resist has made the fuel pumps which carry dangerous hydrogen peroxide, which helps boost the top speed.

Neil Williams, director of Chem Resist, said the hydrogen peroxide used by Bloodhound’s rocket must be handled with extreme care.

He said: “Our considerable experience in reactive chemicals enabled us to provide pump and safety valve solutions for the hydrogen peroxide loading rigs.

“A jet engine, as used in the Typhoon/Eurofighter, plus a rocket will take Bloodhound from a jet-powered 400mph to a rocket-propelled 1,000mph.

“We provided a full pump solution that includes both the pump itself and the electric pump drive with a remote operation facility.”

The firm at Ravensthorpe Industrial estate, has been established for 50 years and employs around 40 people.

The Bloodhound, named after a Cold War air defence missile, will set out to raise the record from 763mph to 1,000mph in an attempt in South Africa later this year or early in 2014.