In the wake of the Bahrain Desert 400, Fujitsu Racing's Jason Bright has made a special visit to Australian troops serving in Iraq in company with fellow V8 Supercar aces Craig Lowndes, Rick Kelly and Greg Murphy.

The visit was organised through the V8 Supercar Championship Series and Australian Defence Force, as Bright joined more than 300 Australian troops at the Overwatch Battlegroup West III, based at the Tallil Air Base in the south of Iraq.

Along with the other drivers, the 34-year-old flew in and out of the airbase on the same day aboard a C-130 Hercules. In addition to signing autographs and posing for photos, Bright and Lowndes took to the wheel of an Australian Light Armoured Vehicle, while Kelly and Murphy boarded a Bushmaster infantry mobility vehicle.

“This has been a very uplifting experience,” Bright remarked afterwards. “I know the soldiers were delighted to see us, but I have to say I was more in awe of them and what they do. When they return to Australia, they have an open invitation to visit us at the workshop or at the races.

“Driving a V8 Supercar is special, but taking the wheel of a full combat vehicle was quite amazing. Some of the hardware on-board could come in handy in some of our races! We were given a full tour of the facility and briefing from the soldiers. It's an incredible operation.

“I thought I had a tough weekend on the track, but visiting our troops and seeing the work they do certainly puts everything truly into perspective. The humanitarian work that our soldiers are involved in is something all Australians should be very proud of.”

The Overwatch Battlegroup is made up of 550 Australian soldiers, and in their time in Iraq one of their many duties has been to rebuild schools and orphanages.

The majority of the soldiers present during the visit have spent the last five months in Tallil, and have about one month left of their deployment.