A method of controlling torque output of a power-plant during launch of a vehicle having a transmission with a manually-operated clutch is disclosed. The power-plant torque is varied based on clutch pedal and throttle pedal positions using a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control logic in an electronic fuel control system. The method includes setting power-plant idle speed, detecting clutch engagement without application of the throttle pedal, and raising power-plant torque after clutch engagement is detected. In each PID feedback loop, the method includes detecting actual power-plant speed and a rate of change in actual power-plant speed, and adjusting the raised power-plant torque in response to the determined rate of change in actual power-plant speed. The method additionally includes determining a difference between the set idle speed and the actual power-plant speed, and maintaining constant power-plant torque, if the difference between the set idle and actual power-plant speeds is within an acceptable range.