Rebuttal:
1. Agreed, but it's never going to be as commercial as F1. Sportscar racing has been a niche series for a long time. The real question is how big or small do want that niche to be. It is also important to remember that the WEC has Le Mans. It is one of the three most famous races on earth. The amount of marketing mileage that can be derived from that one event is mind boggling (see Audi)
2. Agreed again. The problem is what is considered "balanced" by some may not be considered by others. I know that it is not very usual, but I'm convinced that the quest for the illusive "cost cutting" model is really a bit of a red herring. Manufacturers will spend what they can afford in order to win. If you limit testing (for example), they will simply spend the money that they " saved" on very complex and expensive simulators. The same thing applies to aero development (wind tunnel testing). If you reduce that , they will spend their money on other areas that are not limited. Racing budgets are set. The money will be spent. The other problem is that the more you "control costs", the closer you will get to the F1 model...and look where that got them . (Also , constantly changing rules is very costly)
3. Could not agree more! This is a pet peeve of mine. Actually, Porsche's pole time for Spa was only 0.5 seconds off Mercedes's F1 fastest race lap time. Slowing down the cars is a silly knee jerk reaction to certain incidents and reflect a zero tolerance for risk , but also serves as a "Pavalovian" like reaction that reflect the regulators mind-set that "something" must be done /changed at the end of each season. The fact that good management is also knowing when not mess with something completely escapes them.
Look ; The series needs to grow. There is not just one magic bullet that will do this. It must improve its marketing (as you point out); it needs to have a good and stable set of rules that are both technically challenging, but will not cost the earth. It must expand the championship slowly to 10 races (at least). It must guarantee that it holds races in attractive venues, and that these venues are of interest to manufacturers as well as to the fans. It must guarantee that the cars look good and that they are fast. There are many, many things that need to be "managed" in order to guarantee success. The search for the magic bullet will only lead to failure.