Rudolf Krause (30 March 1907 – 11 April 1987) was a racing driver from East Germany.

Soon after Krause’s career began, he set up his own mechanic shop inside of his garage in Reichenbach, and raced in his own BMW sports car.

[2] Krause was a top contender when East Germany ran its own formula racing Grand Prix and championships between 1950 and 1953, placing in top positions several times and winning the formula 2 East German Championship in its last year of existence.

He mainly drove in BMW race cars, many of which were at least partially built in his own workshop in Reichenbach.

However, it also awards him the distinction of one of the few East German drivers to not defect to western Germany to further his career.