Nicknamed the “fastest woman on four wheels,” racer, vehicle builder and TV personality Jessi Combs died Aug. 27 during a crash while trying to break her own land-speed record.
She was 36.
The crash happened in the Alvord Desert in southeast Oregon, where several land-speed records have been set, including those of Combs. In 2013, Combs piloted her North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger to a speed of 398 mph, claiming the women’s 4-wheel land-speed record.
Combs was trained at WyoTech and transitioned into television. She co-hosted Spike TV’s Xtreme 4x4 and appeared on shows including All Girls Garge, Overhaulin’, Mythbusters, The List: 1001 Car Things To Do Before You Die and Science Channel’s How To Build…Everything.
According to Road and Track, Combs was the first woman to place at Ultra4's King of the Hammers; she took home a Class 10 podium finish at the Baja 1000; and she ran in the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles, an all-women rally race. She was even the first woman to compete in The Race of Gentlemen, racing a twin-engine 1913 Ford Model T.
Combs joined the North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger team as a driver in 2013. Her goal was to pilot the car beyond 512 mph, the record for Fastest Woman on Earth, set in 1976 by Kitty O'Neil.
Combs’ team member Terry Madden posted a tribute to her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/B1tUB2lHGKX/
