To me,
I was a wannabe racer, and said so many times.
Now I'm one who has raced, but am not a racer because I don't compete on a consistent basis. (But I can relate now to what racers go through more).
And, hopefully soon, will be a racer. Which to me is someone who competes in at least 3 or 4 races a year. Or, someone who used to compete in at least 3 or 4 races a year for more than one season, but may not currently because of retirement or the current economy.