diff --git a/linux/linux.mk b/linux/linux.mk
index bba49216c7..06792382a9 100644
--- a/linux/linux.mk
+++ b/linux/linux.mk
@@ -15,7 +15,16 @@ LINUX_SITE = $(call qstrip,$(BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_CUSTOM_GIT_REPO_URL))
 LINUX_SITE_METHOD = git
 else
 LINUX_SOURCE = linux-$(LINUX_VERSION).tar.bz2
-LINUX_SITE = $(BR2_KERNEL_MIRROR)/linux/kernel/v2.6/
+# In X.Y.Z, get X and Y. We replace dots and dashes by spaces in order
+# to use the $(word) function. We support versions such as 3.1,
+# 2.6.32, 2.6.32-rc1, 3.0-rc6, etc.
+LINUX_VERSION_MAJOR = $(word 1,$(subst ., ,$(subst -, ,$(LINUX_VERSION))))
+LINUX_VERSION_MINOR = $(word 2,$(subst ., ,$(subst -, ,$(LINUX_VERSION))))
+LINUX_SITE = $(BR2_KERNEL_MIRROR)/linux/kernel/v$(LINUX_VERSION_MAJOR).$(LINUX_VERSION_MINOR)/
+# release candidates are in testing/ subdir
+ifneq ($(findstring -rc,$(LINUX_VERSION)),)
+LINUX_SITE = $(LINUX_SITE)testing/
+endif # -rc
 endif
 
 LINUX_PATCHES = $(call qstrip,$(BR2_LINUX_KERNEL_PATCH))