I have always been jealous of the average person when it comes to fashion and shoes are no exception. When I go shoe shopping I do not ask if they have a shoe in my size, I ask what shoes do they have in my size? If I am lucky I get to chose between 2 options. 
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Some real fancy looking shoes here. I just got back into karting after a 30 year hiatus and rocking my late 80’s Zip Kart driving boots 
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Those do look cool. Retro, even.
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These would be good for karting and would make a statement.
It seems that the split toe design might be interesting for driving. Here’s a link to some non-ninja Tabi shoes:
If the shoe fits!
Ooooooh business casual with a touch of violet flair.
A sartorial explosion
Sparco Slalom Classic RB-3 Driving Shoes Brown SFI 3.2A/5 are the shoes above
Final verdict, @Bimodal_Rocket? My son and I are just getting started, so not sure what to choose.
Hmmmmm. My thought is that for me, the alpinestars fit my foot shape better than the freem I got.
The freem seem to be narrow up front, width of toe area. Alpinestars seems less narrow.
Alpinestars has a huge lineup and seems like the most commonly used shoe as well.
I am new and picked up a pair of Alpinestars shoes and they are surprisingly comfortable! They fit great, easy to get on and off and are comfortable walking around in them all day. I agree with Dom that they are not narrow and are true to size.
I’ve really liked the omp shoes. They soles are pretty stiff and have great pedal feel. I’ve also used a pair of really old sparcos and they were decent and kept going almost forever.
It is 2024 and it is once again time to renew the shoe(s).
My lovely alpinstars have suffered a similar fate to Mr. Teter’s above, wherein the thingy that holds the Velcro flap broke.
So I have been perusing the intranets for nice shoes. I seem to have developed expensive tastes and gravitate towards the higher end models for their comfort. Also, I have exceptionally beautiful feet so they must be framed correctly, but more on that subject later.
My search is complicated by my color palette which is yellow/purple. Yellow is doable, purple not. However there are some nice yellow and blue ones out there.
Of interest:
Alpinestars
No little Velcro hook bar to break on the highest end ones…
Sparco
Wrong color but blue/yellow is close to purple/yellow.
OMP
$399 for kart shoes? They better be comfy. But they look comfy. Aaargh, want!
While not exactly cheap these are similarly priced to the fancy Astars… they also seem like plenty of shoe.
I kinda really want the absurdly expensive soft looking ones with the dial. My spouse thinks I have ugly feet and I think she’s incorrect. Not all of us are born with feet suited to underwater propulsion like hers. Perhaps an investment in 400 buck kart shoes will allow her to see the error of her ways and gain a fuller understanding of what a perfect foot actually looks like.
I’ll probably go for the Alpinestars but my heart says get the soft looking OMP. However, I shall visit our friendly non-karting cobblers to see if there is anything more aligned with Rebel Scum color/style before I pull the trigger.
For example…
Just had to retire mine also. Old vs new. Never had any issue with the Velcro loop thing but I don’t cinch it up tight, it’s there to keep the laces out of trouble mostly. Doesn’t need to be pulled tight at all.
Nice! Yeah it wasn’t from that, tho. I think on mine the loop was weakened by repeated exposure to moisture. This is not a problem for you UAE folks. 
On a non shoe note… how’s the karting in Kazakhstan project coming along?
Not great to be honest. Too much nervousness for investors whilst Putin is on the rampage so it’s on the back burner until that’s sorted out. Not being idle though I’m working out what’s needed locally to create an indoor (obviously 
) ice karting venue here in Abu Dhabi.
I guess I’m not surprised. The indoor ice karting seems like a good idea, too. I was watching some videos about surfing wave pools (which have come a very long way in the past 10 years) and I think the biggest, most advanced one is, unsurprisingly, in your neck of the woods. There seems to be an appetite for crazy entertainment stuff and the financing for it, out there.
Back to the shoes…
The fancier model I got has a much less beefy strap holding system than the model from before. I think being constantly soaked weakened the thread that held it in place.
So I cut apart one of my old shoes and have cemented the retaining tab to the current pair as a temporary band aid.
They aren’t strictly karting shoes but I’ve worn wrestling shoes without any concern for a few years. These have purple and some yellow
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Hmmm yes my new ones have the same system, first thing I noticed. Have to see how they hold up.
Oooh. Those are very cool looking.
“Intended for heavyweights who leverage power and strength” 
I’ve been pretty unhappy with my racing shoes lately. I think I’ll be going back to wrestling shoes. I’ll snap some pics of my pretty gently used shoes that have already needed repairs.
Seem to be built stronger.