Mainly a sportscar driver, although he came very close to racing in F1 in 1963 as he was invited to race for the Scirocco team, but declined to try and make the Indianapolis 500. Died in early 2024 after complications of dementia and a number of recent strokes. After retiring in 1966, Bill went on to run bike and car dealerships, although he had started to combine racing and business initially in 1963. He still has ties with Penske and spends most of his time restoring cars. Krause's father was a mechanic and sometime midget racer, so Bill followed his footsteps, building and racing midgets whilst still a teenager. He was persuaded by his father, helped by his dad buying him a Jaguar D-Type, to race in sportscars and Krause won on his debut. Krause beat the great Jean Behra in the 1958 Riverside Times Grand Prix and a few years later proved more than a match for Dan Gurney, Jack Brabham and Stirling Moss at Riverside. Although he never raced at Indianapolis, he is a two-time winner of the event; as a mechanic in 1981 and 1982 at Patrick Racing. He also became a part-owner of Patrick Racing, with the team winning in 1983 at the Michigan 500.

Biography last updated 16 Feb 2024