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Folks Of Interest Rest in Peace, Jessi...

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Jive-Bomber, Aug 29, 2019.

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  1. Thanks for acknowledging her unique skillset. Sad news indeed and a huge loss to the car world.Had the pleasure of meeting her a few times, when I raced in the Continental GT IMSA race series..albeit a mechanic, but still was super friendly to me, if we passed in the paddock area.
    Talent and good looks!!
    Not sure if anyone posted this interview, but the hooligans' over at Hoonigans did a nice job with a Q n A session, recently
    Godspeed Jessi...sniff sniff
     
    lo c dan, hrm2k, Stogy and 2 others like this.
  2. dreracecar
    Joined: Aug 27, 2009
    Posts: 3,476

    dreracecar
    Member
    from so-cal

    12 mile course-- 500 mph do the math--- that's a mile every 2sec and the run ate up 7 of those miles
     
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  3. toml24
    Joined: Sep 23, 2009
    Posts: 1,620

    toml24
    Member

    This is very sad. It took a full hour for the Fire Department to drive to the location of the accident after they got the call. Was there major trama paramedics on site with a Life Fight evac chopper standing by? Unknown.
     
    Last edited: Sep 1, 2019
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  4. Dan in Pasadena
    Joined: Sep 11, 2009
    Posts: 867

    Dan in Pasadena
    Member

    Why is it we always say, “They died doing what they loved”. Her last moment or two she was likely terrified realizing something was about to or had already gone terribly wrong. Hopefully she didn’t feel any pain. Rest in Peace young Jessi.
     
  5. dreracecar
    Joined: Aug 27, 2009
    Posts: 3,476

    dreracecar
    Member
    from so-cal

    By all indacations no, but not much they could do for her at that point if they were present, but they were required to call the authoritys to report the crash
     
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  6. dreracecar
    Joined: Aug 27, 2009
    Posts: 3,476

    dreracecar
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    from so-cal

    No pain, death according to reports was instant
     
  7. Not that it matters but I'm not sure what you're trying to say. By my math... one mile every two seconds = 30 miles per minute = 1800 mph, not 500
     
    26 T Ford RPU and chryslerfan55 like this.
  8. Actually a bit less than that. So if 60mph is a mile a minute, then 10 times that would be 10 miles in a minute ... but we aren't going 600mph.

    500 mph, would be 500 divided by 60 minutes ... 8.3333333333333 repeating ... or 8.34 miles a minute. Then that amount, divided by 60 seconds ... which is .1388888888888 repeating ... or .14.

    So .14 miles a second at 500mph. Or roughly one mile, every 7.3-ish seconds. With a 13 mile by 7 mile course ... roughly 100 seconds to reach 13 miles, or significantly less to reach 7 miles.

    The math sucks. Quantitatively, figuratively, and literally. (Not YOUR math. I mean THE MATH. The math sucks. Semantics unimportant. )
     
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  9. dreracecar
    Joined: Aug 27, 2009
    Posts: 3,476

    dreracecar
    Member
    from so-cal

    Opps, forgot to X4 because I was using 1320 (qtr mile) instead of 5280 still 7sec per mile
     
  10. Bills 50
    Joined: Jul 24, 2005
    Posts: 337

    Bills 50
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    from Roanoke Va

    Smart, cute, and talented....
     
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  11. Hackerbilt
    Joined: Aug 13, 2001
    Posts: 6,254

    Hackerbilt
    Member

    I was just looking at something about this on Youtube and this popped up in the comments.
    I have say she seems to have been a pretty decent driver!
    Thought I would post it as a little pat on the back for her....


    As a professional driver, Combs raced in a wide range of events and enjoyed many successes.

    2017 – Ultra 4 King of the Hammers – 12th – 4400 Class
    2016 – Ultra 4 King of the Hammers – 1st – EMC Modified Class [17]
    2015 – Rallye Aicha des Gazelles (9 off-road rally race) – 1st – First Participation – 10th overall
    2015 – SCORE Baja 1000 – 2nd – Class 7
    2014 – Ultra 4 King of the Hammers – 1st – Spec Class
    2014 – Ultra 4 National Championship – 1st – Spec Class
    2014 – Ultra 4 Western Region Series – 1st – Spec Class
    2014 – Ultra 4 American Rock Sports Challenge – 3rd – Spec Class
    2014 – Ultra 4 Glen Helen Grand Prix – 2nd – Spec Class
    2014 – Ultra 4 Stampede – 1st – Legends Class
    2013 – Set women's land speed record – 398 mph with a top speed of 440 mph
    2011 – SCORE Baja 1000 – 2nd – Class 10 [18]

    On October 9, 2013, Combs drove the North American Eagle (NaE) Supersonic Speed Challenger at the Alvord desert, claiming the women's 4-wheel land speed record with an official run of 398.954 mph (632 km/h) and a top speed of 440.709 mph (709 km/h).[19] In doing so, she broke the 48-year-old women's land speed record, a 308.506 mph (496.492 km/h) run average set by Lee Breedlove in Spirit of America - Sonic 1 in 1965.[20] On September 7, 2016, Combs set a new top speed of 477.59 mph (768.61 km/h) driving the Other American Eagle.

    Combs was also a 2014 Ultra 4 Spec Class National Champion with Falken Tire.
    In 2016, she took first place in King of the Hammers with the Savvy Off Road team in the EMC Modified Class and a 2017 12th place finish in the Unlimited Class driving the same Stock Mod car.

    RIP Jessi...
     
  12. Pete1
    Joined: Aug 23, 2004
    Posts: 2,254

    Pete1
    Member
    from Wa.

    Everybody says, "rest in peace". I say baloney. I will bet a weeks paycheck she is racing on the smoothest, longest LSR track there ever will be!
     
  13. Hackerbilt
    Joined: Aug 13, 2001
    Posts: 6,254

    Hackerbilt
    Member

    LoL...yes...or the roughest, nastiest, rockiest off-road course you could imagine. She played at both bookends of the automotive world for sure.
     
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  14. Fortunateson
    Joined: Apr 30, 2012
    Posts: 5,331

    Fortunateson
    Member

    Maybe no pain but if she realized what was about to happen sheer terror.
    Earlier I wrote no blame just a damn shame but looking at the NaE and the total lack of protective structure for the driver I'm having second thoughts. My daily driver probably has more protection. So what were they thinking?
    Still a damn shame though...
     
    Last edited: Sep 1, 2019
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  15. dreracecar
    Joined: Aug 27, 2009
    Posts: 3,476

    dreracecar
    Member
    from so-cal

    A couple guy drinking one day, "hey I saw this 60yr old jet plane out in the bone yard, lets buy it, strip the wings off of it. tie it to a skateboard, and go set all kinds of speed records!!! . Even better idea, lets get a celebrity with "0" hrs of training to drive it and we will have $ponsors beating down the doors Ka-Ching
     
  16. 5window
    Joined: Jan 29, 2005
    Posts: 9,517

    5window
    Member

    If you look at Hackerbilt's post, she had a lot of driving experience in a lot of different kinds of race vehicles. I think she was pretty well qualified, but sometimes the car drives you. Haven't seen an official report-anything there?
     
  17. Hightone111
    Joined: Apr 5, 2007
    Posts: 323

    Hightone111
    Member

    [​IMG]

    I had the pleasure of hanging out with Jessi a bit and even tattooed her a few times. She was FAR from just a celebrity used for promotion. She lived for this stuff and was likely fully aware of all of the risks. R.I.P. Jessi


    Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
  18. Mike
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 3,540

    Mike
    Member

    It's unfortunate that they chose to build that machine without a proper roll / crash cage around the driver, and it is also unfortunate that they chose to not have rescue / medical personnel and equipment on site for their runs.

    Looking at all of Jessi's racing experience, it seems likely to me that she was savvy enough to have a good understanding of just how vulnerable she was while driving this machine, and she knew the risk of not having rescue personnel on site. It is my belief that knowing these risks, she still made the decision to climb in this machine and try to break her record.

    A terrible loss.
     
  19. dreracecar
    Joined: Aug 27, 2009
    Posts: 3,476

    dreracecar
    Member
    from so-cal

    Even the best fighter pilots in the world have to have hours of flight simulation time before they plug into a new plane. Reports say some kind of chute/brake issue (was a problem on previous runs people say) and was along for the ride as it went off the end of the course
     
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  20. dreracecar
    Joined: Aug 27, 2009
    Posts: 3,476

    dreracecar
    Member
    from so-cal

    Look , we think we fixed the stopping issue we had before , but if the fix does not work, chances are you are going to crash and prob die. Strap me in and lets go for it anyway. pure EGO
     
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  21. pirate
    Joined: Jun 29, 2006
    Posts: 1,024

    pirate
    Member
    from Alabama

    Well as of today I have not seen or heard of any official reports as to how the accident happened, cause of death or condition of the vehicle so will not speculate. Some of you closer to Land Speed Racing may have more information.

    I will say building a car out of something designed for lift and flying seems a bit counter intuitive. Also aircraft fuselages are very rigid and strong yet lightweight and not designed for the same stresses as a vehicle on the ground. None of this takes away from the tragedy of loss of life at a fairly young age. RIP
     
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  22. Hackerbilt
    Joined: Aug 13, 2001
    Posts: 6,254

    Hackerbilt
    Member

    NOT to defend anyone involved...but from their web page it seems they had a fully equipped rescue ambulance and a 10 person crew for rescue and medical situations.
    A fire truck was also contracted to them from a local town for use during runs.

    Now...I have NO idea what was there during this run or if any of it could be of any use considering the suggested violence of this crash.

    I wonder how vehicles like this repurposed air frame are...approved(?)...for the intended use.
    I always thought it would be a very particular set of rules to follow as far as safety was concerned.
    This project and its apparent by-passing of the most basic of rules (a driver survival cage!) is a real eye opener for what you can apparently get away with....and STILL have an accepted record!
    Hopefully that can change for the better now.
    Sad that someone needs to die to open eyes to an obvious issue though.
     
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  23. Boatmark
    Joined: Jan 15, 2012
    Posts: 384

    Boatmark
    Member

    Seems like there are a lot of assumptions, conclusions, and opinions being thrown around about the car and the accident. Haven't read any comments pegged to actual facts. And from my perspective none of it matters at this point.

    I spent many years deep in the sport of powerboat racing. According to the insurance statistics we were considered the most dangerous form of motor-sports. (I believe it had to do with our ability to survive the crash, and then drown anyway)
    Everyone I knew went above and beyond when it came to both personal safety equipment, and safety in the design and build of the boats. Add in safety crews, divers, and mandatory training, and we tried to stack the deck in our favor as much as possible.

    But all that said, I've lost nine friends and fellow competitors to the sport. Several others have suffered life altering injuries. None of us were subjected to danger or damage by accident. We each knew every time we climbed in the seat that the unthinkable was possible. It's a choice. A choice to challenge your mechanical and personal skills at (or beyond) the edge of the envelope. A choice to attempt excellence at a level very few people on the planet will attempt or succeed in doing.

    A talented and experienced young woman made a choice to chase the demon - and the demon got her. It's very sad. She will be missed by many. But it is a time to celebrate a life well lived, not speculate on her choices. They were her choices, and hers alone.

    An old saying comes to mind . . . "Better to be a racer for some time, than a spectator for a lifetime".

    (Soapbox closed.)
     
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  24. Hackerbilt
    Joined: Aug 13, 2001
    Posts: 6,254

    Hackerbilt
    Member

    Sigh....I know.
    The only issue I have with it is, as safety improvements were made they were adopted and required until something better was developed.
    It's that way in all professional racing.
    At the top levels you don't go backwards and just decide to leave things out for whatever reason.
    If you can do that on a whim then the system is very flawed.
     
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  25. Mike
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 3,540

    Mike
    Member

    I've seen several reports that it took between 1/2 hour to 1 full hour for rescue crews to arrive at the crash site and I made an assumption, perhaps those reports were in reference to the arrival of law enforcement. If so, my assumption may not be correct.

    As for safety rules, this is a private endeavor with no sanctioning body or organization dictating or approving how the car needs to be constructed. To set any records, there would have to be a sanctioning body ( probably FIA) covering how the runs are executed and timed. Other than that, it's pretty much anything goes.
     
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2019
  26. dreracecar
    Joined: Aug 27, 2009
    Posts: 3,476

    dreracecar
    Member
    from so-cal


    Info comes from multiple races with very close ties to the SCTA board who were apprised to the situation as it affects all land speed racing. But no official word as of yet from the authoritys
     
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  27. I find it hard to imagine that they would not film what they certainly expected to be an historic event, so I expect some footage of at least part of it to surface sometime.
    I read one account that emergency help took an hour to get there, and hear other people mentioning that probably an emergency standby was at the "event"..possibly assuming that it was normal practice, so one was assumed to be there. ?? news reports I saw said it took almost an hour....
    Also read that authorities wanted to review any footage that was taken.
    maybe a team video was turned over to their posession for a time.
    I am beginning to suspect that a race crew that didn't give a hoot that they were putting a driver at great risk without a survivability cage of any kind didn't go to the huge expense of having emergency vehicles and crew on hand while at the same time, telling themselves that nothing bad could happen to the driver without a cage.
    The two opposite thoughts of "we need an emergency crew" and "we dont need no stinking cage" do not jive together at all in my thinking.
    I suspect that the unsanctioned, uninspected, remote private event was simply a rush to get there first without any thought about safety and the formality of passing a tech inspection, just to get there first.
    If they had no thought to build a survivability cage, I doubt that bringing a more expensive medical emergency crew was much of a concern either.
    It's a real damn shame that nobody thought about survivability in their excitement of doing an historic event.
    What a huge waste of talent, huge waste of resources by throwing everything away on either dumb decisions or really foolish recklessness, and huge waste of good people.
    R.I.P.



    WHY BE ORDINARY ?
     
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  28. Fortunateson
    Joined: Apr 30, 2012
    Posts: 5,331

    Fortunateson
    Member

    I wonder if we'll ever get an accurate account of the crash. By the way, did Jessi have any kids?
     
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  29. 32fenderless
    Joined: Jun 7, 2007
    Posts: 350

    32fenderless
    Member

    Jessi was obviously very talented fabricator and driver. I’m sure she knew the risks involved and that she died doing what she loved.
    Would a cage even matter at 400mph? Not knowing how fast she was going at the time of the accident but at any speed close to that wouldn’t the g forces of the crash just scramble your insides up anyways?


    Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
     
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  30. Hackerbilt
    Joined: Aug 13, 2001
    Posts: 6,254

    Hackerbilt
    Member

    Depending on the crash...no difference or all the difference in the world.

    This crash of "Speed Demon" was at over 370 mph and the driver walked away.

    It's on Youtube if you care to look it up.
     
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