Jessi Combs: See Her Set the Land Speed Record Years Before Deadly Crash
Jessi Combs didn't just feel the need for speed, she was the epitome of it, and nothing proves that more than when she became "The Fastest Woman On Four Wheels."
Back in 2013, Combs set the land speed record with a speed of nearly 392 MPH over a measured mile while piloting a rocket on four wheels through a dry lakebed in the Alvord Desert region of Oregon.
She beat her previous mark of 344 MPH, and even got up to a top speed of over 440 MPH.
The previous record was 308 MPH set in 1965 by Lee Breedlove, the wife of former world land speed record holder, Craig Breedlove.
To accomplish the feat, Combs was piloting a 52,000-horsepower, 56-foot-long, North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger, which had been customized from the body of a F-104 jet.
Video documenting the record attempt began with the, then 30-year-old, star lowering herself into the cockpit of the vehicle and strapping in for the ride of her life.
In true fighter pilot fashion, Combs puts on a helmet and oxygen mask as the engine of the jet-powered vehicle can be heard warming up.
The power shooting out the back of the car is undeniable as the sand from the Alvord Desert is blown back while the vehicle moves to the starting line.
Combs races across the desert, and in between the mile markers logs the record speed!
While slowing down the rocket car, she gave a hand wave to the waiting crew to let them know that everything was fine.
After taking off her helmet Combs was congratulated by her crew, while she proclaimed, "That felt good!"
As we reported, Combs died Tuesday after trying to best her previous speed and set a new record.
The crash occurred in the same lakebed in which she had celebrated just years before.
The cause of the crash is currently under investigation.
