48 ENGINEBUILDERmag.com | AUGUST 2020
LAST SHOT
JESSI COMBS | THE FASTEST WOMAN... PERIOD.
“It may seem a little crazy to walk directly into the line of fire... those who are willing, are those who achieve great things.
People say I’m crazy. I say thank you.”
That’s the quote Jessi Combs posted on her Instagram (@thejessicombs) on August 24, 2019. The 39-year-old racer, fabricator and television
personality died on August 27, 2019 while attempting to beat the a land speed record using her 52,000-hp jet car in Oregon’s Alvord Desert.
It was confirmed earlier this year that Jessi had in fact set the fastest female land speed record as her car clocked a speed of 522.783 mph,
besting the 512.7 mph speed Kitty O’Neil set in 1976.
Jessi Combs was an impressive force in racing regardless of gender. She was a valuable role model for women in motorsport and hands-on
automotive work.48 eb.aug20 Last Shot.indd 48 8/7/20 8:20 AM
Naresh Jariwala