A system and method for controlling a throttle ramp rate of a vehicle. According to an embodiment of the invention, the controlling of a throttle ramp rate of a vehicle is accomplished by determining the target engine speed for a vehicle during a vehicle launch. If it is determined that there is a high throttle demand upon the engine of the vehicle, a throttle ramp rate offset amount is determined, which is based upon an estimated weight of the vehicle. A default high throttle ramp rate may then be adjusted based upon the determined throttle ramp rate offset.