The new HBO Max documentary, The Fastest Woman on Earth, honours the life and legacy of racing legend Jessi Combs. Combs, who hosted MythBusters and had a passion for competitive driving, was attempting to break the women’s land-speed world record when she tragically died in a crash in 2019.
At the time of her death, Jessi Combs was reportedly travelling at 550 mph while attempting to break the women’s world land-speed record in 2019. Combs, who was 39 years old at the time, was making an attempt to break a record in a jet-powered car on a dry lake bed in the Alvord Desert in Oregon.
Combs died from blunt force trauma to her head before the vehicle caught fire, as per The Sun.
Almost a year after her attempt, Combs was posthumously awarded the land-speed record by Guinness World Records with a top speed of 522.783 mph, surpassing previous record holder Kitty O’Neil. Combs had already earned the title of “fastest woman on four wheels” in 2013 and broke her own record again in 2016. O’Neil passed away in 2018.
The documentary follows Combs on her seven-year journey to break the record and features footage of her determination, as well as a touching moment where she seeks out O’Neil for her blessing. Though she is no longer with us, Combs’ passion and dedication to her sport will live on through the film and her impressive record-breaking achievements.
Blessing Iyamadiken loves the art of storytelling and enjoys creating all types of content from news to entertainment. She is also a feminist and very passionate about Gender Equality. In her spare time, she loves to read or binge on Netflix.
