Dylan Frittelli continued his recent excellent form to set the clubhouse target on day two of the Volvo China Open at Topwin Golf and Country Club.
The Challenge Tour graduate missed three of his first four cuts this season but has been a picture of consistency since, achieving a season's best tie for fifth at last week's Shenzhen International.
He fired a 63 on Friday morning to match the course record set by Alexander Levy on day one and move to 11 under, three shots clear of the Frenchman, who had a bogey in his first three holes.
Fellow South African George Coetzee carded a 69 to also sit at eight under alongside Pablo Larrazábal, who opened with two pars.
Frittelli started his round birdie-eagle from the tenth and then picked up further shots on the 15th, 17th and 18th to turn in 30.
A birdie on the third thanks to an excellent approach handed him a share of the lead and when he picked up his eighth shot of the day on the sixth, he was the first man this week into double figures.
Another birdie on the eighth then extended his lead and set the target for the rest of the field.
Coetzee has been in fine form himself of late, with three top tens in his last six appearances, and he held a share of the lead stood on the last tee in Shenzhen before carding a closing eight.
Starting on the back nine, the South African birdied the 11th for the second day in a row but then gave the shot back on the 12th before picking up shots on the 13th, 15th and 16th to turn in 33.
A further birdie on the seventh via a long right-to-lefter meant he had at last caught Levy but a closing bogey dropped him back to eight under.
Countryman Dean Burmester said after Thursday's opener he felt he was playing his best golf since he won the Tshwane Open in March and he fired a 70 to get to seven under alongside Joost Luiten and Bernd Ritthammer.
Burmester picked up shots on the 13th and 14th to turn in 34 and then made two birdies - one courtesy of a stunning approach to the fifth - and two bogeys on the front nine.
Last season's Road to Oman runner-up Ritthammer tuned in 33 with four birdies and a bogey and the German added further gains on the tenth and 12th to sign for a 67.
Luiten had just one blemish on his card on the last on Thursday and he made two more as he tackled the back nine again to turn in 37.
The Dutchman then came roaring back with four birdies on the front nine - the highlight being an approach to tap-in range on the third - and he was four off the lead.
Swede Peter Hanson made two birdies in his first five holes to also sit at seven under.
Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts, the 2011 champion, carded a 66 along with American Peter Uihlein to move to six under, with Paraguayan Fabrizio Zanotti also making a move through the field and joining him with a 67.
Frenchman Raphaël Jacquelin was also six under after a 71.
