World's fastest woman dies

Former Mythbusters host Jessi Combs died on Tuesday (August 27) trying to break her own female land-speed record in the USA, according to the Harney County Sheriff’s Office.

Local report that Combs, an accomplished racing driver and fabricator, was pushing her 52,000hp, F-104 jet-powered speed-record car in an Oregon desert at the time of her fatal crash.

The 36-year-old set the standing four-wheeled record of 641km/h in her North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger six years ago and tweeted a picture of her updated racer just days ago.

She had run a single-run timed 778km/h in a shakedown run last year before a mechanical failure, but record runs need a two-way average to be official.

The Alvord Desert’s 21km/h dry-lake course has been used for land-speed runs for years and hosted the record for Kitty O’Neil’s three-wheeled women’s record of 825km/h in 1976.

A frequent television personality, Combs joined Mythbusters in 2009 and was currently filling in for fellow host Kari Byron, who temporarily left the show to give birth to her first child.

Combs was also a co-host of The List and hosted Overhaulin’, Extreme 4×4 and All Girls Garage, and even designed her own women’s range of welding apparel.

She also competed successfully in the Baja 1000 with a podium finish and regularly ran in off-road racing competitions.

“The Discovery and MotorTrend family is deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Jessi Combs,” Discovery said in a statement to Variety.

“She was a friend and colleague, an icon in the industry, and an undeniable force of nature who left an indelible mark on the car world. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones.”

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Video from US Weekly