Jessi Combs posthumously recognised as the world’s fastest woman

Race car driver Jessi Combs has posthumously been recognised as the world’s fastest woman by Guinness World Records.

The speeds she achieved in her jet-powered car leading up to her fatal accident on August 27 2019 have been accepted as a new world record.

She managed to complete two successful high-speed runs in a jet-powered car for an average of 841.338km/h, beating the previous 825.110km/h record achieved by Kitty O'Neil in 1976.

Combs, 39, who was host of the TV show All Girls Garage and also appeared on Mythbusters and Overhaulin’, died while attempting to set the record at an event held in the Alvord Desert in Oregon, US.

An investigation into the accident found that the front wheel of the streamliner she was driving, known as the North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger, had failed, likely due to striking an object on the ground.

She competed in motor racing events including the Baja 1000 and King of Hammers, and winning the latter earned her the nickname “Queen of Hammers”.

But Jessi’s most notable dream was to become the fastest woman on Earth, a dream she had been chasing since 2012, said a family statement.

“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.”

In a posting on Instagram just before her record attempt, Combs wrote: “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.”