@
mynameistory
is 100% right. The flat planes of the side rails, plus no front mounting point creates a lot of play up front. You could actually grab the front of the rack and move it side to side, which is what I was getting with the awning mounted up there. Here are my solutions to create much more rigidity.
I picked up two of these flat metal punched bars from Home Depot. They're the longest ones they had at 72" and the punched holes make for easier bolting down to the cross rails.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt...-204225774-_-N
Basically just created an X with them, and bolted them down to the front-most cross bar and angled it out to bolt down to the 3rd bar from the rear. Victory provided 4 screws and rail nuts with the rack so I used those, plus I purchased a few more to bolt them down at multiple points.
The lateral play is virtually gone. Well, seems to be gone with as much force as my 175lb frame can give it. Additionally I put the awning back on, this time using the 3rd bar from the front as the front mounting point. On the drive today with several dips and uneven pavement, so far it's silent up there. Actual trail time will tell the true story, but more to come one that.