JESSI COMBS, 'FASTEST WOMAN ON FOUR WHEELS', DIES IN A HIGH-SPEED CRASH

In an attempt to set a new land speed record on Tuesday (27 August 2019), the 'fastest woman on four wheels', Jessi Combs, tragically passed away after her jet-car crashed.

Arguably best known for television appearances on shows including Overhaulin’, Xtreme 4x4, Mythbusters, and All Girls Garage, the TV personality crashed during a high-speed run in Oregon, USA. She died at just 36 years old.

Combs wasn't simply a TV star, she was an accomplished racing driver and a skilled fabricator too, graduating from WyoTech at the top of her class. She excelled at collision repair, street rod fabrication, and performance applications, Jessi was a lover of all things automotive.

Details of the incident are slim, however, what is clear is that the land speed record attempt on August 27 was being held at the Alvord Desert, a dry lakebed located in southeast Oregon. According to Entertainment Tonight, at approximately 4pm on Tuesday, an emergency call came through to the Harney County Sherrif's Office. A press release stated that "a jet car attempting to break a land speed record on the Alvord Desert had crashed, leading to one fatality". Jessi was pronounced dead at the scene.

Terry Madden, a member of her racing team confirmed the tragedy in an Instagram post:

Jessi was a source of inspiration for women and girls in the automotive industry, an extremely male-dominated area. At the time of her death, she was attempting to beat the 512mph record set by Kitty O'Neil in 1976. Her previous official record was 398mph, set in 2013. Another attempt in 2018 saw her reach 483mph, but she was unable to complete another run and could not make it official.

We offer our condolences to her family, friends, and fans around the world.

(Note: Jessi was born in 1983, not 1980 as stated in the video below.)