Jessi Combs, a mainstay on automotive television programs such as Overhaulin’, Truck U and Two Guys Garage on Velocity and the Discovery Channel, was killed yesterday during an attempt to break her own land-speed record
Known as the “Fastest Woman on Four Wheels” after hitting 440 miles per hour in her jet-powered North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger in 2013, Combs died in that very car in the Alvord Desert in Oregon.
The Alvord Desert is a dry lake bed where several land-speed records have been set. For example, Kitty O’Neil set the women’s three-wheeled land-speed record of 512.7 mph there in 1976.
Last year during a run at Alvord, Combs had to cancel her session after a hydraulic bay door lock mechanism broke on her Supersonic Speed Challenger, which is essentially a reconfigured F-104 jet. Though she got the vehicle up to more than 480 mph during that attempt, it didn’t count as an official speed mark because governing bodies require two back-to-back runs in opposite directions to set a record.
“She was the most amazing spirit that I have ever or will ever know,” Combs’ teammate Terry Madden wrote in an Instagram post. “Unfortunately we lost her yesterday in a horrific accident, I was the first one there and trust me we did everything humanly possible to save her!!”
“Jessi was known for her bright smile, positivity, and tenacious pursuit of the fulfillment of her dreams,” according to a statement released by her family. “Her drive was infectious, and she served as a role model for young Girls, and Women around the world. People that loved her and followed her became family, all bonded together by adventure and passion. Her fans adored her, and she lived to inspire them. Jessi’s most notable dream was to become the fastest woman on Earth, a dream she had been chasing since 2012. Combs was one of the rare dreamers with the bravery to turn those possibilities into reality, and she left this earth driving faster than any other woman in history.”
The cause of yesterday’s crash is still under investigation.
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