zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
Jessi Combs Officially Awarded The New Women's Land Speed Guinness World Record
Jessi Combs Officially Awarded The New Women's Land Speed Guinness World Record-September 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:04

Rest in Horsepower, Jessi Combs

Last year, we lost a legend in the automotive community. , world-class fabricator, show host, off-road racing champion and all around gearhead, died after her jet car crashed while attempting to break the women’s land speed record on August 27, 2019 in the Alvord Desert in Oregon. Her attempt was entered posthumously into the The Guinness Book Of World Records yesterday, reaffirming once again that Combs truly was and is the fastest woman on four wheels.

Combs set out to break the land speed record Kitty O’Neil set back in 1976 in the same desert. O’Neil hit 512.7 miles per hour, destroying the previous record which barely reach 200. Combs had made a previous attempt to beat O’Neil’s speed and reached 483 mph before the attempt was scrapped due to safety concerns.

Before the catastrophic crash, Combs completed the Guinness-required minimum two runs at Alvord in the jet-powered North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger. Her first run while the second was 548.432 mph. That means her average speed was 531.889 mph—just under 20 mph faster than O’Neil’s time. It’s not clear how Guinness settled on 522.783 mph as the record-breaking speed.

It took 40 years and the loss of one of the most recognizable women in automotive, but O’Neil’s record has been officially broken. In a statement following her death, Comb’s family described this moment as her number one goal in life:

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.

Surrounded by her family and friends at the time of her passing, Jessi lived fearlessly and her legacy lives on in the countless lives she touched.

The cause of the accident was after it struck something on the course while traveling at 550 mph. There are still questions, however, over if proper safety precautions were taken to avoid such a tragedy.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
Of Course Women Are Strong Enough To Race Against Men
Of Course Women Are Strong Enough To Race Against Men
A few months ago, a race promoter with an aggressive marketing platform, a GT spec program, and a promise that all expenses would be paid. The catch? The series was for women only, and I wouldn’t be allowed to continue to compete in IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge or any...
Sep 3, 2026
Two Drivers Disqualified After 500-mile Karting Race Turns Into A Bar Brawl
Two Drivers Disqualified After 500-mile Karting Race Turns Into A Bar Brawl
Last night in Brazil’s premier “500 Milhas de Kart” event, two drivers were disqualified for engaging in fisticuffs after the pair had contact on track that ended with both of them stuck in the barrier with just 18 laps remaining in the race. Rodrigo Dantas, driving for the same team...
Sep 3, 2026
Weekend Motorsports Roundup, Dec. 16th-17th, 2017
Weekend Motorsports Roundup, Dec. 16th-17th, 2017
Welcome to the Jalopnik Weekend Motorsports Roundup, where we let you know what’s going on in the world of racing, where you can see it, and where you can talk about it all in one convenient place. Where else would you want to spend your weekend? Racing is sparse this...
Sep 3, 2026
Not Even This Insane Truck Cartwheel Can Stop A Stadium Super Truck
Not Even This Insane Truck Cartwheel Can Stop A Stadium Super Truck
If there’s one clip that shows why Stadium Super Trucks are the greatest, please consider this epic roll from Lake Elsinore this weekend. Or, you know, how the truck just lands on its wheels and keeps going. (Skip to about 10:40.) Stadium Super Trucks went Lake Elsinore this weekend to...
Sep 3, 2026
News: Racing Driver Needs To Be Mildly Aroused Before Driving A Race Car
News: Racing Driver Needs To Be Mildly Aroused Before Driving A Race Car
Jalopnik must apologize for our grave error , in asserting grid girls are not necessary—and even, possibly, harmful!—to racing. We were so very wrong because, as we recently learned from , male drivers need to see beautiful women in order to operate a car. We argued last Thursday that F1...
Sep 3, 2026
Double Amputee Racing Badass Alex Zanardi Will Do The 2019 24 Hours Of Daytona
Double Amputee Racing Badass Alex Zanardi Will Do The 2019 24 Hours Of Daytona
Two-time CART champion, ex-Formula 1 driver, and winner of paralympic gold medals Alex Zanardi will be driving a BMW M8 GTEs at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2019, BMW this weekend. Zanardi lost both legs after a CART crash in 2001, so the new BMW will be modified to...
Sep 3, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved