MythBusters co-host and jet-car racer Jessi Combs dies attempting record
Beloved race car driver Jessi Combs has died trying to break a speed record. Photo: Instagram
Race car driver Jessi Combs, known by fans as the “fastest woman on four wheels” after she set a record with a jet-powered car, has died in a crash while trying to break another speed record.
Combs, 39, died on Tuesday afternoon (local time) while racing in a dry lake bed in a desert in remote Harney County, in south-eastern Oregan, local sheriff Brian Needham said.
The exact cause of her death is being investigated.
Combs was known for her frequent appearances as a co-host on TV’s MythBusters, a popular science and entertainment television show, and her death sparked an outcry of grief from fans and colleagues on social media.
her dreams and setting records! She may be gone, but she’ll never be forgotten. Our industry lost an icon today, once again RIP Jessi Combs
— Richard Ray Rawlings (@RRRawlings) August 28, 2019
Combs earned her title as the fastest woman on four wheels in 2013 when she set a record of 640km/h at the North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger.
In October 2018, she set a new top speed of 777km/h in a test run.
On Tuesday, she was trying to go even faster when she crashed.
A passionate supporter of women in the automotive industry, Combs has been described as an “amazing friend” with a fierce spirit.
Seven-time motorcycle land-speed record holder Valerie Thompson, known as the “fastest woman on two wheels”, shared her sadness on Twitter.
It's with a heavy heart that I pass along the news that Jessi Combs passed away yesterday while attempting to break a land speed record. I also had the chance to attempt this record but it wasn't my turn…this hits home for me. Godspeed, Jessi Combs. pic.twitter.com/bfE2N9Cy2k
— Valerie Thompson (@ValerieThompson) August 28, 2019
Terry Madden, Combs’ teammate on the North American Eagle racing team, said he was heartbroken.
“She was the most amazing spirit that I have ever or will ever know,” he wrote.
“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!!”
In an Instagram post on Sunday, Combs had indicated she was hoping to break the women’s land speed record of 823km/h, set in 1976 by Kitty O’Neil when she died.
She wrote: “People say I’m crazy. I say, ‘thank you.'”
In a statement, Combs’s family said her “most notable dream was being the fastest woman on Earth”.
She studied automotive design and fabrication and appeared as a host on Spike TV’s Extreme 4X4 before a freak accident involving heavy machinery broke her spine.
After months of rehabilitation, Combs appeared on several television shows while honing her skills as a professional driver for movies and commercials.
-with agencies
