Wade Ormsby moved to the top of the leaderboard with a superb six-under-par 65 at the Aa St Omer Golf Club in Northern France.
The Australian produced five birdies and an eagle to move to seven-under-par for the tournament, which offers a chance to those struggling to make headway in The Race to Dubai or at the lower end of the Challenge Tour Rankings to gain some vital points.
Ormsby enjoyed a run of three birdies and a bogey in five holes after starting on the tenth tee and after his dropped shot he carded seven successive pars before a superb finish, which saw him shoot two birdies and an eagle.
"I stood on the ninth tee thinking about a birdie, so to chip in for eagle was a big bonus," said Ormsby. "It was a great end to a very pleasing round.
"I haven't struck the ball that well for a very long time, particularly on the back nine.
“When I stood on the practice ground and started hitting balls on Monday, I knew I was going to be in for a better week,” he added.
“My confidence started coming back, and all of a sudden the putts start dropping too. So instead of just chasing the cut line, you’re starting to chase the leaders instead. Now I am the leader by one, which is obviously a great position to be in.”
England's James Morrison sits one stroke behind Ormsby following his second round 69, the same score achieved by last year's runner-up Christian Nilsson, which left him on five-under through 36 holes.
"The only bogey I made was down to a plugged lie in the bunker," explained Morrison. "But to have only one bogey after 36 holes here must mean I'm playing pretty well. So I'm very happy."
Sweden's Fredrik Andersson Hed shot a 65 to move into fourth, but he was less than happy with his performance on Friday.
“I didn’t play particularly well, but it wasn’t a complete disaster. It was just one of those days when it doesn’t quite go your way, so in the end I wasn’t too unhappy with a 73. I got off to a bad start, and had to try to fight my way back," he said.
“I got a shot back on the ninth, but then gave another one away with a really poor shot on the tenth. Then a bad decision on the 13th cost me another shot, but I got it back with two lovely shots on the next hole. So it was that kind of round, a bit up and down.”
England’s Adam Gee and Australians Adam Carolan and Andrew Tampion are in a tie for fifth on three-under-par, while Simon Wakefield fired a superb 66 to join José-Filipe Lima and Matthew Millar on two-under.