Spontaneous, adventurous, and incredibly talented are some of the adjectives that can be used to describe Jessi Combs, a popular American professional racer who was known for her fearless approach to racing and her very uninhibited and lively outlook on life. Combs gained so many fans thanks to her racing ability and thus became one of the most influential names in the business. She was widely hailed as ‘the fastest woman on four wheels’ by many people.
A very hard-working woman, Combs, in addition to her work as a professional racer, was also a television personality, metal fabricator, and public speaker. She earned respect with her work ethic and sense of humor. Unfortunately, Jessi Combs’ life was cut short by what she loved to do the most. Find out how exactly she died as well as her journey to becoming a bigwig in the racing world.
Jessi Combs’ Early Life and Racing Career
Born on July 27, 1983, in the city of Rockerville, South Dakota, USA, Jessi Combs grew up in Piedmont, South Dakota after her family moved to the city when she was just about two years old. She was raised alongside three siblings who have been identified as Kelly Combs, Austin Darrington, Danielle Theis. It is noteworthy that she also had some step-siblings.
Growing up, Combs attended Stevens High School from where she graduated in 1998 before moving to Denver to kick-start a career in snowboarding. This did not, however, go according to plan so she turned to race.
Jessi Combs had loved racing since she was a little girl. According to our findings, she was taught how to use cars by her father, Jamie Combs. Since then, she developed an urge to race and become a big name in the racing industry.
When she came to Denver and her attempt at kick-starting a snowboarding career failed, she decided to attend WyoTech, a technical college in Wyoming that helps to adequately prepare students for work in the car industry. When she finished from WyoTech, the college’s marketing department hired her and another student to build a car from scratch for the college to exhibit at a trade show. She then went on to begin racing, stunning fans with early successes.
Some of the success recorded at the early stage of her racing career included coming second in the 2011 SCORE Baja 1000 race in the Californian desert. She went on to record other notable successes at the Ultra 4 off-road series which put her name on people’s lips. She also finished in the top-10 spot during the running of the women-only Rallye Aicha des Gazelles in the Sahara.
In 2013, Jessi Combs got the world talking when she set a world land speed record, becoming the fastest woman on 4-wheels at a top speed of 398.9 mph at the North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger. She went on to continuously stun fans with her fearless love for racing dangerously.
Other Endeavors of the Racer
Jessi Combs owned a fabrication shop in California where she not only worked on cars and motorcycles but also fabricated artworks and furniture as well. She proved her worth by working with popular companies and building cars for the famed SEMA (Speciality Equipment Market Association) Las Vegas show.
Combs was also a popular face on television. As a matter of fact, the racer actually presented more than a dozen episodes of MythBusters, a popular American-Australian television program. She also worked on All Girls Garage and Overhaulin, two other popular TV shows about automobiles.
Jessi Combs was also an author. She published her first book – Joey and the Chopper Boys – in 2015. The book tells a story that revolves around being a girl in a boy’s world with an undertone that encourages the readers to take charge of their lives.
Details about the 880-Kph Accident that Killed Jessi Combs
On the 27th day of August 2019, fans and friends of Jessi Combs were thrown into shock when the racer sadly passed away after being involved in a horrific accident.
At the time she died, Combs was attempting to break the women’s land speed record of 512 mph (823 kph), a record which was set in 1976 by American stuntwoman Kitty O’Neil. Combs tried to break the record at the Alvord Desert, a dry lake bed in southeast Oregon. She was driving in a 56-feet long jet-powered vehicle that had a horsepower engine that could consume up to 160 gallons of fuel per minute.
Just minutes into her record-breaking attempt, Jessi Combs’ vehicle crashed and went up in flames. According to reports, the crash happened because of a mechanical failure.
