A US racing driver who died while trying to break the world land-speed record for a female has been awarded the feat by the Guinness World Records.

Jessi Combs fatally crashed on August 27 last year in Alvord Desert, Oregon.

Her jet-powered car reached a maximum speed of 522.783 mph meaning she broke Kitty O'Neil’s record by more than 10 mph, set way back in 1976.

And while Combs’ husband, Terry Madden, was proud of his wife for being awarded the record, it also stirred up all the ‘what if’ questions he’s been asking himself ever since the accident.

In an emotional, but extremely candid message on Instagram, he said: "#rememberthetime I was woke up Monday by a reporter from the London Times telling me that @guinnessworldrecords would be releasing today that @thejessicombs had officially broke her world landspeed record.

"I really don’t know how I feel about this at all as no record could ever be worth her not being here, but it was a goal that she really wanted - and as hard as it is for me to even look at the car without crying. I’m so proud of her. She woke up that morning to an alarm saying “lets make history” and we had an absolutely amazing day. 

"On the morning run she broke her previous top speeds and we went back to the trailer and had a long heart to heart - she had a few things that were bothering us safety wise and I told her I would support her no matter what she decided to do. That afternoon we booked a house in Lake Tahoe for the next night, and she decided she was going to run that one last afternoon run to back up her record and then walk away from it for good and let her back up driver go for the overall world record instead of her.

"That was to be the last time she ever got in that car. It has torn me apart that all I had todo is say let’s go and we would have left before that run, she asked my opinion and I told her Togo for it if it was what she wanted. That conversation has torn me apart everyday since the accident. .

"On her final record run- the front wheel assembly failed and as she decelerated just past the end of the run, it came apart and went up into the electronics/mechanical bay behind her seat and caused the accident. There was nothing that she could do and she did everything perfect. 

"I don’t know that this is anyone’s business and it has been hard for me to talk about, but I have been asked about several false narratives lately that she had done something wrong and I can’t live with anyone saying that anymore. 

"I was in the safety vehicle beside her as she was slowing down when the accident happened, I watched the accident live as well as the onboard footage that was recovered. I can 100% tell you beyond any doubt that she did everything exactly as she was supposed to. #missyababe #myjessi #landspeed #jessicombs #worldrecord #guinness."

Just three days before her death, Combs posted a photo of the vehicle she would fatally crash in along with the caption: "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 ;)."

A police investigation found that the fatal crash was caused by ‘a mechanical failure of the front wheel’.

This was said to have been ‘most likely caused from striking an object on the desert’ while she was driving.

Combs also holds the land-speed record for a four-wheeled victory after she drove 398 mph in 2013.

She would then go on to beat her own record three years later.