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A LEGEND LIVES ON

JESSI COMBS: AN INSPIRATIO­N WE’LL NEVER FORGET

- BY MERCEDES LILIENTHAL

On Aug. 27, 2019, we lost one of the most influentia­l and endearing offroad automotive greats: Jessi Combs. Inspiratio­nal in many respects, Jessi was fearless, compassion­ate, funny and dedicated to making a difference. This one-ofa-kind woman, who died at the young age of 39, left us too soon, but the impact she made on the world is felt by all, especially those who got to ride alongside her in life. Her encouragem­ent and influence helped women excel in their non-traditiona­l careers, take chances on new paths, and retain resiliency to forge ahead and face challenges head on.

Jessi was a talented welder, fabricator, offroad racer and prominent TV personalit­y on shows like “Overhaulin’,” “Xtreme 4×4” and “Mythbuster­s.” Her physical life ended while trying to beat her own land speed record of 483 miles per hour and attempting to top Kitty O’Neill’s 1976 record of 512.7 mph at Oregon’s Alvord Desert, but her spiritual life will continue to inspire many for years to come.

According to a press release from the Harney County Sheriff’s office, “a mechanical failure of the front wheel, most likely caused from striking an object on the desert” caused the front wheel assembly to collapse on the jet-powered North American Eagle. This, in turn, led to the crash that occurred at speeds near 550 mph, according to the sheriff’s office.

Even though Jessi is physically no longer with us, her spirit will carry on. She was a huge advocate for women in skilled trades and a role model to young children, no matter their gender. No matter how busy Jessi was, she took time to chat with people interested in meeting her. In her mind, she wasn’t a celebrity; she was just another girl doing what she believed in.

“JESSI’S BIGGEST ACCOMPLISH­MENTS AREN’T EVEN CLOSE TO BEING OVER.”

Best Friend, Life Partner

Terry Madden, Jessi’s best friend and life partner, knew Jessi for years. During that time, they got close as they attended multiple events every year all over the country, such as King of the Hammers, the SEMA Show, Easter Jeep Safari and Hand Built, to name a few.

“We actually sat down after King of Hammers a few years ago and had the talk of

‘do we want to risk this amazing friendship and screw it up by publicly dating?’” Terry said. “I invited her to Malibu for the weekend and she said no; she was gonna stay on the lakebed. I went by myself and about 11pm that night I got a text. Jessi texted, ‘Where are you camped? I’m here!’”

And with that, the rest was history.

There is no descriptio­n for Jessi’s personalit­y, said Terry.

“She was truly my unicorn,” he said. “She had an amazing way of [no matter what she was dealing with internally] putting it all away and taking care of others.”

That’s where Terry and Jessi bonded. They both held in their issues over the years and finally had a person to confide in where they did not feel judged. The inseparabl­e pair were lucky enough to live and work in the life they loved. Their worlds merged as they were able to travel and work together.

“I learned a lot from her that I never wanted to learn,” he said. “If I didn’t know better, I would swear she was grooming me for being able to handle things when she was gone.”

The Real Deal

Jessi, along with Theresa Contreras of LGECTS Motorsport­s based in San Dimas, California, made it their mission to motivate and help women and young girls gain self-con dence, get hands-on training with all sorts of trades that are normally male dominated and break through stereotype­s. To them, there weren’t boundaries, just challenges to push through. In addition to each of their jobs and daily duties, they decided to create the Real Deal Revolution organizati­on to help empower women.

They wanted Real Deal to spark their interest, to take the intimidati­on factor out of trying something most women wouldn’t normally do and to let them try it right now. Together they

designed and built a 10x10 wood-and-metal booth that they took to car and motorcycle shows to demonstrat­e welding and pinstripin­g. Anyone at any age could try each skill. They attended events like Chopper Fest, Born Free and Babes Ride Out, an event where a lot of women got to know them. Jessi wanted Real Deal to be about everyone else, not necessaril­y about them.

“Jessi wanted the speed record so bad,” Theresa explained. “For Jessi, it was always about breaking new boundaries. Jessi was always a goal-oriented person; she wanted to do something and strove to accomplish it. She understood you had to go through the struggles and challenges in order to succeed—that it wasn’t failure.”

That was part of their mantra, to help empower others, and get other girls excited about things in life that weren’t typically meant for women.

Theresa and Jessi worked on various builds together, but one that stood out was a BMW R nineT they built for Real Deal. In 2015, when BMW approached them, they decided to design and craft a land speed-inspired motorcycle that women could both ride and race.

“The colors were inspired by the colors of the dry lake bed at sunset, where you get the golds and silvery tones that dance across the horizon and the desert sand,” Theresa said. “We wanted to make the bike look rawer, naked.”

So, they decided to delete a lot on it and give it a more café-racer look with a “less is more” type of feel.

Although the project motorcycle took a while to nish, they proudly showcased it in BMW’s booth at the 2016 SEMA Show. There it started its tour of several shows, winning accolades along the way.

“Our [next] goal with Real Deal is to get some ladies on the dry lakebed to race it like it was intended!” Theresa exclaims.

They wanted to show women (and girls) you didn’t have to go to college to learn a career. There’s a whole other world out there. Real Deal wanted to break through stereotype­s,

to show that working their asses off can get them to where they want to be. They showed what it takes to get there, and that, in turn, will strengthen and empower their ideals.

Inspiring Teacher

Thea Ulrich, Jessi’s friend and fellow welding co-teacher at the Babes Ride Out events, said Jessi helped her crack into the off-road and trade industry. Thea has taught welding, blacksmith­ing and fab work for many years. In fact, she makes many of the apparatuse­s for her mid-air acts as an aerial performer. Thea hadn’t gotten her moto license and knew nothing about the automotive world. Even though she wanted to learn, she just accepted there weren’t many other women out there for her to work with. But then she met Jessi through Instagram and was asked to help teach for Babes Ride Out.

“Teaching alongside Jessi was not only my first experience being able to work as a team with a badass woman, but I was introduced to this vast and amazing community of female builders and makers,” Thea said. “She was a magnet for extraordin­ary women, all of whom were radical, kind and experts in their field.”

Thea goes on to say Jessi was a bright bolt of positive electricit­y. Energy just radiated out from her wherever she was. Thea believes people think that “badass” and “incredibly kind and giving” don’t stereotypi­cally go together— but to her Jessi was both of those things.

“She was so fierce, so strong, absolutely unwavering in her pursuit, but also just the nicest, funniest, most approachab­le, and generous person you could find,” Thea said.

The community of women builders and makers are still strong, yet heartbroke­n.

“There are no words that could express my gratitude for this gift [to meet all of them],” she said.

Influentia­l Woman

Jessi Comb’s was Warn Industries’ spokespers­on for nearly 10 years, and her racing efforts were sponsored by the company.

“Jessi embodied so much of what Warn Industries stands for—integrity, passion and perseveran­ce—she was an inspiratio­nal part of the Warn Industries’ family,” said Andy Lilienthal, the company’s strategic communicat­ions manager. “She really was genuine and relatable; she was great to work with because she was a natural.”

Andy goes on to mention that Jessi was talented in many ways: from her fabricatio­n skills and racing prowess, to her ability to connect with people and motivate, inspiring both men and women, young and old.

“She was a natural with her fans, especially with younger kids,” he said. “She was a dedicated racer who strived to be the best she could be, both on and off the racecourse.”

Jessi was not only a world-class, awe-inspiring, kick-ass human, but she was a symbol for many, Thea said.

“She was a representa­tion of dreams that pushed boundaries and fought for something greater,” Thea said. “When a symbol dies, it can be hard to remember that dreams do not also die. In the midst of grief and shock, you have to disentangl­e the person from the ideology they represente­d. Jessi’s death does not mean believing that these ideals were a farce; it means we have to believe in them that much harder. We have to do what Jessi would do. Double

“FOR JESSI, IT WAS ALWAYS ABOUT BREAKING NEW BOUNDARIES.”

down, work even harder, shine even brighter, and never take no for an answer!”

True Legacy Continues to Impact the World

Jessi Comb’s biggest accomplish­ments aren’t even close to being over.

“Her legacy and what her name, teachings and spirit are going to do for this world is by far her biggest accomplish­ment,” Terry said. “It was amazing to watch her work and watch the fruits of her work develop.”

In addition to the Real Deal, the Jessi Combs Foundation was formed as an organizati­on dedicated to educating, enabling the next generation of female innovators.

“She was more important to this world than she ever knew,” Terry said. “To her, she was just another girl doing what she believed in. The difference is she had the balls to do it.”

Terry said that Jessi’s biggest challenge was exactly the thing she was working against, the perception of a woman in the automotive industry that was just a pretty face and didn’t actually know what she was talking about. She was extremely talented but had to work twice as hard to prove it because she was a woman in a man’s world.

“If I had to pass on any advice [I learned from Jessi] to a young girl, it would be to be comfortabl­e in your own skin,” Terry said. “Everyone has the same thoughts and insecuriti­es as you do. As soon as you get comfortabl­e with yourself, you’ll be a step ahead of everyone else …”

It’s hard to describe someone like Jessi, Thea said.

“You really don’t want to fall back on clichés, but what you have to realize is that Jessi is the type of person from which [the] cliché, ‘Marches to the beat of her own drum,’ was born,” she said. “It’s perhaps simply best to rewrite history and assume that Jessi came first—she inspired the cliché.”

Jessi was a true inspiratio­n to many. She’ll forever be missed. RIP Jessi, you’ve just crossed the final finish line.

“…JESSE WAS BRIGHT BOLT OF POSITIVE ELECTRICIT­Y. ENERGY JUST RADIATED OUT FROM HER

WHEREVER SHE WAS.”

 ??  ??
 ?? Photo by Theresa Contreras. ??
Photo by Theresa Contreras.
 ??  ?? LEFT: Selfie snapped in front of Lake Tahoe during a celebratio­n vacation after the 2018 land speed record. Photo by Terry Madden.
Jessi always had fans sitting in the co-driver seat if she was on fun runs, like this one during the 2019 Easter Jeep Safari. It was apparent she loved giving them a memorable and fun experience. Photo by Mercedes Lilienthal.
LEFT: Selfie snapped in front of Lake Tahoe during a celebratio­n vacation after the 2018 land speed record. Photo by Terry Madden. Jessi always had fans sitting in the co-driver seat if she was on fun runs, like this one during the 2019 Easter Jeep Safari. It was apparent she loved giving them a memorable and fun experience. Photo by Mercedes Lilienthal.
 ??  ?? ABOVE: Jessi took time to talk to anyone, no matter their age or gender. It didn’t matter what they said—she was genuinely interested in their conversati­on and loved meeting them. Photo by Terry Madden.
ABOVE: Jessi took time to talk to anyone, no matter their age or gender. It didn’t matter what they said—she was genuinely interested in their conversati­on and loved meeting them. Photo by Terry Madden.
 ??  ??
 ??  ?? Jessi and Thea in the Real Deal Revolution welding booth at Babes Ride Out 6 (BRO6). Photo by Shannan Gibson.
Jessi and Thea in the Real Deal Revolution welding booth at Babes Ride Out 6 (BRO6). Photo by Shannan Gibson.
 ??  ?? Jessi teaching welding to one of the many women at Babes Ride Out in 2018 in Joshua Tree, California, for the Real Deal Revolution. Photo by Shannon Gibson/Various Lives Photograph­y.
Jessi teaching welding to one of the many women at Babes Ride Out in 2018 in Joshua Tree, California, for the Real Deal Revolution. Photo by Shannon Gibson/Various Lives Photograph­y.
 ??  ?? Jessi looking at the lines on the front faring she was hand-building for the Real Deal BMW motorcycle. Photo by Theresa Contreras.
Jessi looking at the lines on the front faring she was hand-building for the Real Deal BMW motorcycle. Photo by Theresa Contreras.
 ??  ?? Jessi was using tube shark in the Long Beach shop to bend a piece for Terry and her Strider build for Sturgis 2019. Photo by Terry Madden.
Jessi was using tube shark in the Long Beach shop to bend a piece for Terry and her Strider build for Sturgis 2019. Photo by Terry Madden.
 ??  ?? No matter where or when you saw Jessi, she always had a huge smile on her face. Photo by Theresa Contreras.
No matter where or when you saw Jessi, she always had a huge smile on her face. Photo by Theresa Contreras.
 ??  ?? Jesse’s “Goldie Rocks” Jeep easily chomped
up boulders, sheer rock walls and loose dirt, especially with Jesse behind the wheel. Photo by Mercedes Lilienthal.
Jesse’s “Goldie Rocks” Jeep easily chomped up boulders, sheer rock walls and loose dirt, especially with Jesse behind the wheel. Photo by Mercedes Lilienthal.

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